Pact's Revival
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: Ten years after Drakengard 2's first ending, Nowe finds a child in the old Goddess' Castle and decides to raise her like Legna raised him. Unofficially labeled Drakengard 3 by some of my friends. CHP. 28 up
1. Prologue

**__**

Pact's Revival

**Fandom: **Drakengard

**Rating: **R for blood, gore and manic thoughts at certain points

**Genre: **Prologue – Tragedy. Story – Angst.

**Pairings:** CaimxAngelus, NowexManah, and several others.

**Timeline: **Begins 10 years after the first ending of Drakengard 2.

**Spoilers:** Minimum, but I can't avoid them forever.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Drakengard / Drag-on Dragoon, but I have finished both games at least once.

**Summary: **On a trip to the old Goddess' Castle, for old time's sake, Nowe encounters a child with fiery red hair and the most amazing blue eyes. Who is this girl and why can she only speak the tongue of dragons?

**Notes: **After clearing Chapter 9, I simply felt it was completely unfair what happened to Caim and Angelus, and as such, I've been fiddling with a number of ideas, and this was the eventual result.

**Notes on the prologue:** Definite spoiler alert there, but this is how I think the end of Chapter 9 should've been.

Well, that's all I had to say; enjoy.

* * *

**Prologue**

"Legna behind you!" Nowe shouted, and Legna instantly swerved to the side, only just avoiding a bolt of fire that would've seriously hurt.

Legna growled. "When did she get behind us!"

"She's fast…" Nowe whispered under his breath. "I can't even keep track of her!"

He wasn't even sure how long they had been at it. The red dragon, Angelus, was by far stronger than any opponent Legna and he had ever faced before in the skies. Her speed only made her all the more dangerous. If Legna were to turn around to face her, she'd already have flown to behind them in the time it took them to turn.

Nowe was shaken from his thoughts and yowled when Legna sent them upward with one clap of his wings, only just avoiding the rays of fire. One of them just graced over Legna's leg however, and the blue dragon roared in pain. "Argh! Dammit!"

"Hang in there, Legna!" Nowe called out, wishing there was something, _anything_ he could do.

Suddenly, Legna spoke again. "My boy, I have a message."

Nowe blinked, trying to figure out what he meant, before realizing there was only one person around the vicinity who could possibly contact Legna when they were up in the air. "From Caim?" he asked.

Legna nodded and then said plainly: "Kill Angelus."

"What?" Nowe demanded in horror. "They wish to die?"

"'Death will be a blessing for Angelus and I' he says. Indeed, this would be a fitting arrangement for all concerned."

Nowe bit his lip at the news. "Poor Caim…" he whispered. "He must have been attacking the districts for the past three years. He must have been trying to set the red dragon free."

"Show no mercy!" Legna shouted. "Do you wish to die!"

Shaking his head, Nowe focused back on the battle with Angelus. This time, Legna wasn't holding back and Nowe was pushing all he had into the fight.

"Caim!" Angelus suddenly screamed out even as she flung another burst of fire their way. "Caim, the one who calls to me… I cannot see… Where are you?"

Nowe frowned sadly. 'Don't worry, Angelus… it'll be all over soon…'

Legna swerved out of the way and fired at Angelus, only to curse when she dodged it, easily. This wasn't going good. They were dealing enough damage with every hit, but she barely even seemed to notice it.

How long it lasted, Nowe wasn't sure, but then he realized there was a slight pattern in what Angelus did. Smirking a little, Nowe waited until Angelus shot herself right at them. "Legna! Swerve left, turn around and fire twice!" he shouted.

Legna didn't question the boy's strategy, avoiding Angelus by a hair, spun around and fired twice, just like Nowe said.

Angelus roared in agony when the shots nailed her right between her wings, the second one making her pitch forward. Legna watched in awe as she fell down toward the castle. "Did we get her!"

"I think so…" Nowe whispered, just before he heard Angelus scream out.

"CAAAAIIIIIIM!"

* * *

With a heavy crash, the red dragon slammed against the stones of the courtyard, releasing a roar of sheer agony as a number of ribs snapped from the impact. Legna landed not that far away from her, but far enough to be out of reach, unless she decided to fry them. Nowe scrambled off the blue dragon and made to rush for Angelus - only to stop when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.

Whipping around, Nowe stared as Caim simply shook his head, before he turned to face Angelus as she struggled to rise. Caim watched her for a moment longer, before he jammed his sword into the stones, lodging it there so that it would not budge. Nowe winced when the grip on his shoulder tightened, but as he looked up at Caim, he choked on air when he saw that the man was smiling.

And then his hand was gone and Caim approached Angelus, his pace steady, but seeming almost hesitant as well. Nowe could only watch anxiously as Angelus managed to push herself up on her wings, if only a little.

* * *

"Ugh…" Angelus groaned in pain, and had she been human, she probably would've whimpered. The pain his partner was in tore at his heart, but at the same time, it eased his mind, knowing that everything would be all right soon.

_Angelus,_ he reached out with his mind, praying that she would respond now that she had calmed a little. _Angelus, I'm here._

She raised her head, and when she saw him, her expression softened and he could sense the relief washing off of her. "Caim!" she rasped out. "You heard my voice… You heard my voice, and tried to set me free… many times."

_Yes… yes, that's right. I couldn't just leave you in such pain. I should have never left at all… I'm sorry…_

A slight touch to the back of his mind told him she'd forgiven him. Told him that it wasn't his fault, and he felt some of his tension fade away.

"How the people must have turned against you…" Angelus said, almost sadly. "I did not know… I could not know…"

_Hush now. Hush… it's all right now, don't worry. It's okay… I don't care if the entire world was out to kill me for what I tried to pull. I chose the world over you once before… no more of that. Nothing, not even this pathetic world, is more important to me than you are… I'm sorry it took me so long to realize._

Was it just him, or was Angelus smiling? "I had waited so long…" she whispered. "…so long to see you again…"

_Yeah… I missed you, too, Angelus… I missed you so much…_

Slowly, he reached out and tenderly placed his hand atop her majestic snout, rubbing over the red scales that were now stained with her blood, hearing her quiet purr of contentment. He still remembered that well; how much she always loved it when he rubbed her snout or her neck like that, recalled how she had been able to overcome her fear of the Wyrm, the dragon of legend. It had been over 18 years since he had last touched her like that. That was just too long. Far too long…

His eyes never left hers as he smiled at her in reassurance. She smiled softly, even as the yellow of her eyes began to dull to a pale white.

**Is it over… Caim?** her voice echoed through his mind as her head dropped to the ground and all of her tension faded from her body.

He smiled sadly.

_It's over. We're together now._

Even when Angelus' body became engulfed in flames, Caim completely ignored it and stepped further toward her, placing his hand on her neck and seating himself beside her, resting his cheek against her neck, seemingly unaware of the flames now licking at his own body.

He couldn't help but fight a chuckle at the irony; 18 years ago, this was exactly where they met for the first time. The Empire had attacked the Goddess' Castle, and had captured her. They had both been dying, but in the end they chose to create a pact, right there in the courtyard, and look where that brought them.

Recalling something, he raised his head almost lazily to turn toward where Nowe and Legna stood, staring in rapt attention. Locking eyes with Nowe, he mouthed slowly to the youth: "Thank you."

The kid gaped at that, having clearly understood him, but Caim barely bothered as he rested his head against Angelus' neck again, smiling peacefully for the first time in years, even as his and Angelus' existence was completely wiped away in a whirlwind of ashes.

All that remained as proof that they had ever existed was Caim's sword…


	2. Chapter 1: Girl from Heaven

**Chapter 1: Girl from Heaven**

Verse 1

A tiny groan echoed through the halls, and a sliver of blue shimmered in the sunlight streaming in from outside. With a big yawn, the small creature stretched and rose again. A shake of its head and the creature bounded off across the stone archways of the castle.

Not that it knew that; all it knew was that this was where it had been since forever, and, thus, this was home. A ruin from who knew how long ago, and though there was not much around to serve as food, it was enough, for now. Much later, perhaps then it would consider leaving the ruins to scour around for food outside the ruins. But until then, it was a necessity that they stay within the safety of the stone walls.

What was notable about the place, was how it always smelled so much of death. Not that they had bothered, but it still bothered them from time to time. Whatever came past through here, must have killed everything edible and left them for long enough for the smell to sink into the stones.

Then they stopped suddenly. Something was wrong…

There was a presence somewhere that wasn't supposed to be there. What could this mean?

* * *

Verse 2

"Well, here I am…" Nowe sighed, dropping his bag on the ground before he plopped down. He had almost forgotten how tiring it could be to actually walk from one place to the next. He was used to it by now, after ten years, but it could still be very tiring.

It had been almost ten years since he had last been there, and as much as he didn't actually want to be there, he wanted to pay his respects to Caim and Angelus. He couldn't help but wonder if they were happy, wherever they were. They sure had seemed to be happy when he had seen them last, just before the wind had blown away the ashes they had become.

He doubted he would ever forget the look of peace on Caim's face as he rested against Angelus' neck, as if to go to sleep, like how he must've done years ago. And he still couldn't help but wonder; what had there been between those two?

Hierarch Seere had told him the two had been together for a little under a year, a far shorter time than they had been apart (by a long shot), and yet Caim had been willing to risk _everything_ just to see Angelus once more. What kind of a bond did those two share that he and Legna had lacked?

Honestly, he didn't know, and there was no way to ask. Maybe someday he would understand, but for now, he was left in the dark.

Looking up from where he sat, he smiled as he gazed upon the castle. When he first came here, he had no idea what its significance had been to Angelus, but he had asked Seere and he had explained that this was where she had first met Caim, and where they had made their pact.

It had also been Caim's home, at one point.

Still smiling, he lifted himself up, pulling his heavy load with him. He was glad he had decided against taking Caim's sword along for the trip. After everything was over with, he had returned to pick it up from where Caim had left it. It now hung on the wall of his and Manah's home; as a constant reminder of both Caim and Angelus.

Actually, hanging it up had proven to be a bit difficult though. How on earth had Caim managed to drag it around like it was nothing? It had taken Seere's Golem to actually get it out of the ground, and Nowe hadn't been able to keep the sword lifted for more than 5 seconds. And yet Caim had picked it up with ease, with _one hand_ no less.

In the end, they had managed to find a big old, rusty nail that didn't bend under its weight, and now it hung on the wall, glimmering a faint red from all the blood it had spilt.

Seere had said it was scary how the blade had changed; it hadn't been that red the last time he remembered seeing it, which only indicated how many people Caim had slain in order to free Angelus. And it lifted Nowe's heart to know Caim finally found peace in the end, and Angelus, too.

Shaking the thought away, Nowe moved onward through the gates that would lead out to the courtyard.

And paused.

Was it just his imagination or did he just hear something scuffle along the castle walls outside? Paying close attention, he listened and tried to make as little noise as possible.

And there it was again; like something was moving around and trying not to be seen or heard.

Silently, Nowe reached out and pulled out his sword. It hadn't sounded all that big, but he was not going to underestimate whatever it was. Even the smaller things could become your undoing if you weren't careful.

Ever so slowly, he moved to the end of the archway, peering inside to see if he could spot whoever he had heard. But of course, that was asking for too much, as there was nothing there. As far as he could see, at least.

Keeping his sword at the ready, he walked forward and onto the courtyard, slowly gazing around to spot anything out of the ordinary. But he saw nothing.

And then he dived out of the way when a rock nearly hit him on the head. That would've given him a very nasty headache. Whipping around, he scanned the walls, but could only catch sight of a brief flash of red.

Nowe knew he'd never get up there in time to catch whatever that had been.

On foot, at least…

Briefly, his hair turned a pale white as his pupils contracted and then lengthened to form slits, a burst of light erupted from his back as he launched himself up and landed only seconds after. Cutting off the flow of energy, he looked around quickly.

He'd managed to control his transformation, though it had taken a couple of years before he had absolute control of it. He hated using it, but at times, it was handy to have around.

The blur of red disappeared behind a wall, and he rushed after it as fast as he could, but it was always just out of his reach. It skittered through the halls, going too fast for him to determine just _what_ he was chasing, but curiosity won over rationality and he chased it down nevertheless.

And then he lost it in what he believed to have at one point been the dining hall.

Frowning, Nowe looked around carefully, trying to think of a place where the creature could have gone. Surely it couldn't have gotten _that_ far ahead of him, could it? Just to be safe, he reached back and shut the door, trapping whatever he had chased in.

* * *

Verse 3

A tiny whimper almost escaped the creature's throat, but it was smothered at the last second. The only entrance was now blocked off, and it had taken so long to open it the last time it had fallen shut. It would be impossible to open it before it could get caught by that… thing that had trespassed on their home.

Then again, there wasn't much that could be done. That thing was almost 10 times bigger than anything they had ever eaten, and almost 3 times bigger than the small creature. Was this how things would end? The thought alone was scary. They didn't want to die. Not now.

Still, what could they do? That thing had jumped up a wall that was 3 times its own size, something they couldn't do if their life depended on it.

It could only pray the thing would tire of this and leave soon, but by the looks of things, that wasn't about to happen any time soon.

Curling up, the creature tried to keep silent, but its tummy was grumbling quite loudly.

It could only hope that thing couldn't hear that well…

Then suddenly the thing was gone from their view. Shortly after, a round, red and shiny object dropped to the ground ahead of the creature. They sniffed at the air in its general direction, and felt its tummy growl once again.

It was dangerous to even attempt it, but they had to eat. That chance that it was a trap had to be taken.

Bracing itself, the creature looked around once more, and bounded toward the object…

* * *

Verse 4

Nowe gripped his sword tighter as he heard something that almost sounded like a growl, but it was still very quiet. And somehow, it sounded a little familiar, but he couldn't place it.

That is, until his stomach grumbled its protest. Placing a hand on his belly, Nowe blinked, then smirked, realizing there was a very easy way to get the creature to come out. Looking around, Nowe jumped atop one of the tables as quietly as possible, and pulled out his bag, opening it and ruffling through it quickly.

Finally, he pulled out a shining red apple. Carefully, he tossed it over into the open, where whatever he had been chasing would have to get out of hiding in order to grab the apple. And then, Nowe just waited.

And as he had already expected, it didn't take long for it to appear from under a table. Instantly, Nowe lunged and managed to grab the creature in one arm with ease. It yowled in sheer fright and began to struggle almost violently.

Nowe growled a little - then gasped when he saw just what he was holding.

He wasn't holding some kind of creature; he was holding on to a small child with a mop of messy red hair the color of fire, whom was currently crying in fear. Nowe just stood there for a moment, staring in surprise, before he shook himself out of it and placed his sword away once more, though not releasing the child.

He had to resist the urge to yowl when sharp nails suddenly dug into his arm, drawing blood. Looking at the child's hands, he saw that the nails were pretty long, indicating just how long the child had been alone.

Speaking of which, the child wasn't even wearing clothes, which made him wonder. It made it a little easier to pin a gender on the child, though. One look and Nowe knew he was dealing with a little girl.

And then she made a sound that Nowe recognized. It wasn't a shout in any language most humans knew, but Nowe could recognize it with ease. It was a slight rasping noise kind of like a growl and a roar, the sound and length of the shouts varying every now and then.

Reaching out with his other arm, he spoke in the same fashion as the girl. "Hush, hush, little one. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry for scaring you like that… Hush now."

Hearing that, the girl began to calm, sniffling a little. Glad that she had calmed down, Nowe bent down and picked up the apple, sitting down on one of the few chairs that weren't broken. Once he was sure the chair would hold his weight, he settled the small girl on his leg and held up the apple to her.

She stared at it for a long time, seeming to hesitate, but then her tummy roared and she bit her lip, before she reached out and snatched the apple from his hand, biting down on it and ripping off a big chunk. Nowe watched in amazement as she completely ate everything but the applecore, searching and finding every bit that was edible.

When she had finished the whole thing, she looked at him with a curious glance. He realized then that her eyes were a dark blue, though they shimmered when the light fell on them.

The two stared at each other for a long time, before Nowe asked: "Who are you?"

She cocked her head curiously, as if not understanding what he was saying.

Nowe scratched his head a minute, then blinked when she copied the gesture. Shaking it off, he pointed to himself. "My name is Nowe. Do you understand? I am Nowe."

She blinked once, then spoke: "No…we…?"

He smiled, ignoring how she drawled out his name. "That's right. What's your name?"

At that, she smiled, which immediately lit up her whole face. "My name is Angelina - little angel. Papa always calls me that."

"Angelina…" Nowe smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Angelina."

* * *

"Angelina, where are your mother and father? Are they here, too?" Nowe asked gently.

"…" Angelina was silent as she looked away. "…I don't know… I think so but… I've never seen them…"

"Do you want me to help you look for them?" Nowe did his best to stay polite to the little girl, which wasn't really that hard for him to begin with. Still, he didn't want to offend her in any way, so he was extra careful with what he said around her.

She seemed to hesitate a little, but then she nodded meekly. "Okay…"

Nowe smiled and held out his hand to her. Angelina looked at him, but then she reached out and took hold of his hand with her own, which was considerably smaller than his was. Like that, they began to roam through the halls in silence, searching for the small girl's parents.

Unlike the last time that Nowe was there, the place seemed almost hauntingly empty. He couldn't understand how Angelina could stand to live there. And why weren't her parents with her? Living in a ruin like this one wasn't _that_ bad, but to live alone had to be absolutely horrible, especially at Angelina's age.

If they couldn't find Angelina's parents, he would offer to take her in until they could locate them. He was not about to let a small girl like her stay here alone.

* * *

Verse 5

The top floor of the castle was most cold; the glass in the windows had long since shattered, not to mention the roof had been ripped off by some unnatural force. That was how Nowe had entered the castle the first time. Nowe could feel goosebumps run across Angelina's arm, and turned to her.

"Angelina? Are you cold?" he asked tenderly.

She shook her head. "I'm okay," she said, but despite her words, she was shivering.

With a tiny frown, Nowe finally just bent down to her level and took her in his arms, despite her yowl of surprise, and wrapped his cloak around her. "Hush. The last thing we want is for you to get sick, right?"

"…I don't get sick…" she protested softly, but she still snuggled up against his chest.

Nowe smiled at that, securing the cloak around her with his free hand, feeling a sudden surge of protectiveness swell up in him. Vaguely, he wondered if this was how a parent would feel, and if this was anything like Legna felt.

Angelina smiled a little sleepily, and then her eyes fell shut and she curled up in Nowe's arm, one hand clinging to the edge of the cloak around her. Unable to help himself, Nowe reached out and ran a hand through her hair absently.

Heading to the room at the end of the hallway, he took it in for a moment. Now that it was day, he could see a little bit more of the whole thing, and it struck him as… well, cozy.

There was a bed in the corner, a bookcase to the wall on the left of the fireplace in the back. A dresser stood on the other side of the fireplace. There was a desk a bit away from a window, equally broken as the others on that floor, while a book rested on the wooden surface. Walking over, Nowe flipped through the pages, finding that most of the pages had withered and the ink had almost completely disappeared from them.

Looking around once more, Nowe could tell that, while cozy, it was barely lived in. If anything, the room appeared to have been empty for years. Looking down at Angelina, he realized that he couldn't just leave her here.

'Poor girl… how long has she been here? Alone, without her parents to guide her?' he wondered.

Walking over to the dresser, he pulled open one of the drawers, looking inside for something he could give Angelina as some makeshift clothes until he could get her some real ones.

Clearly, this room had belonged to a female at one point. All dresses in the drawer were pale white, almost as pure as snow, but they were all mostly eaten by the moths, making it difficult to find something he could use.

In the end, he pulled out a dress that had only had hole in the bottom section and at the ends of the sleeves, which could be fixed easily. It wasn't like Angelina would actually need either the skirt or sleeves.

Fixing the dress was the easy part, the harder part was getting Angelina in it, as she was still clutching onto his shirt. After a few minutes of figuring out how to work around it, he finally conceded in waking her up.

"Angelina… Angelina, wake up, sweetheart."

She whined a little, before she peeked out through one eye.

Smiling at her, Nowe said: "Can you let go of my shirt for a moment? I have something for you that will make sure you don't feel the cold as much."

Though she seemed awfully reluctant, she complied wordlessly, but instead of helping him, she fell right back asleep. Not that Nowe had a problem with that. He just smiled and tugged the dress over her head, before pulling her back into his arms.

Gently adjusting his hold on the small girl, he whispered whilst nudging her awake: "Angelina…"

She whimpered softly, and finally just opened both her eyes, looking at him questionably.

Nowe sighed, then said: "I'm afraid your parents aren't here, sweetie. And I don't want to leave you here all alone… I'm afraid something might happen to you if I were to leave you." Trying to sound as sincere as he could, he asked: "So… will you come home with me?"

Angelina seemed to seriously consider it, before she hummed softly and curled up. "…kay…"

Nowe smiled, placing a tender kiss on the girl's forehead, before he started on his way out of the castle, heading homeward once more.


	3. Chapter 2: Home

Would have never expected the part with Caim's sword to be so popular in the last chapter… Oh well.

Speaking of which, either Nowe is a few feet shorter than Caim, or Caim's sword increased its length by at least a foot… At least, that's how I saw it in Drakengard 2.

**

* * *

Chapter 2: Home**

Verse 1

As much as Nowe wanted to hurry home, perhaps it'd be better if they took it slow, for the moment. It would give him the time to find some reasonable clothes for Angelina. Not to mention it would allow her to learn the basic human language. She could speak perfectly in the tongue of dragons, but Nowe knew for a fact only he could understand her.

He smiled at the memory of when he first tried to teach her.

* * *

"Alright, Angelina. I think it's about time you learned how to speak some basic human language."

"Hu…man…? What's that?"

Nowe chuckled. "It's the language we humans use to talk to each other. I don't think anyone will understand you as you talk now."

"But… what's a human?" Angelina asked.

Nowe could only stare, before he laughed. "Creatures like you and me. There are very much of us."

"…I'm not human…" Angelina protested. "I'm not like you, Nowe…"

Nowe merely smiled at her. "Why do you believe that?"

"Because I'm tiny… and I'm not even that strong…"

"That's because you're merely a child. Once you become older, you'll grow and become stronger."

"…?"

"You'll see. Before you know it, you'll be taller than I am."

She had looked at him strangely, but he merely smiled at her.

* * *

Nowe used a stick to poke in the fire before them, while Angelina nibbled on the bones of the leg she had just finished. It hadn't taken him long to realize she must have learned the hard way that if she left anything edible behind for later, it would be stolen from her before she could blink.

He didn't mind, and even offered his own leg for her to nibble on once he was done. Though he had been sure there had been nothing left on it, Angelina had found and eaten all the remaining pieces of meat she could find.

She finally finished and threw the bone away in some random direction. Nowe frowned. "Angelina, why did you do that?"

"…" She shrugged a little. "…I can't eat bone…"

Nowe sighed. "Well, alright. Just don't do that when we're in someone else's home, okay?"

"Then what do I do with the bone?"

"You throw it away with everything else you no longer need once everyone is done eating."

"…?"

"It's not easy to explain. You'll understand later…"

"…"

* * *

Verse 2

Though it was very tiring to travel for so long, Nowe believed it was well worth it. Angelina could at least speak enough of the human language so that others could understand her, and that she could understand them well enough. The flimsy dress Nowe had cut up for her had been replaced with some easy pants and a loose shirt. She had refused to wear either a skirt or a dress, claiming all that material dragging after her drove her crazy.

While they were in the remote village about 2 days walking away from the Goddess' Castle, Nowe had also gotten around to washing her hair and cutting it so that it just brushed her chin. He'd also taken the time to clip her nails, which was a relief for when she had to wear shoes. Long nails and shoes do not go well together.

Angelina wanted to walk as much as she could on her own, and only when she was starting to get tired did she allow Nowe to pick her up. Which wasn't even that often as Nowe would've expected.

It was still not that eventful a trip, but Nowe surely wasn't complaining. After the battles against the Knights of the Seal, Nowe had been more than happy with the peace that had followed.

He was no fool, though; he knew that eventually the world would be torn asunder by war, for whatever reason people would find. But he could only hope that this time, the seals would be able to last longer than just a single war.

"Nowe." Blinking, Nowe turned to Angelina.

"Yes?"

"… do you live alone?"

"What? Oh, no. No, I live with Manah. You'll meet her once we get home."

"Ma…nah…? Where are your mama and papa…?"

Nowe tried not to wince, but couldn't help but remember what had occurred ten years ago. "My… my father died, ten years ago. I… I've never even met my mother."

"…sorry…"

"That's okay. It was a long time ago. So I'm not that sad about it."

"…"

"Angelina, what were you doing back at the castle?"

"…? …I don't remember…"

"That's okay. Don't worry about it. Now come on; it shouldn't take much longer to get home."

"…home…"

* * *

Verse 3

Despite Nowe saying it wouldn't take much longer, it still took them almost two days before they came to what Nowe liked to call "home". It wasn't anything like the ruins in which Legna raised him, nor was it anything remotely like the Grand Shrine, but it was still very cozy, even though it was fairly simple.

Nothing about the house indicated that one of the New Breed and the former High Priestess of the Cult of Watchers lived here. It looked just like all the other houses in the small village, and because of that, Nowe and Manah felt like this was the ideal place to stay.

When they first came there, no one even knew who they were, and they preferred it that way. Now, the entire village knew their name and face, but otherwise, they were merely fellow villagers to them. It was the kind of village where everyone knew everyone, and they were all happy with it.

"Well, here we are. It's nothing like your castle, but it's home," Nowe said with a warm smile.

Angelina watched the house in awe, even as Nowe took her hand and guided her across the small path leading up to their front door. Her gaze lingered on the wooden and straw men that were set up almost all around the path.

"Who are they…?" she asked, pointing to one of the men.

"Huh? Oh, those. They don't have a name. They're just here for practice."

"…practice?"

"I might show you later. Come on. Let's say hello to Manah."

"…"

* * *

"Manah," Nowe called out as he shut the door behind Angelina and him. "I'm home."

The blonde poked her head into the room from the kitchen, before she walked in. "Welcome home, Nowe. Bit late, though, aren't you?"

"Sorry, sorry," Nowe apologized with a small smile. "I got a little… sidetracked."

It was then that Manah saw the tiny girl holding onto Nowe's hand. When she saw Manah looking at her, she tried to step to behind Nowe without letting go of his hand. "Well, who's this lovely little lady?"

"Manah, this is Angelina. Angelina, I want you to meet Manah. Say hello."

"…" The small girl bit her lip, before she spoke softly: "He…hello."

Manah smiled warmly at her, trying to quench a little bit of the girl's fear. "Hello to you, too, Angelina."

"Manah, would it be okay if Angelina staid with us until her parents turn up?" Nowe asked finally.

Though a bit surprised at the question, Manah only smiled at the brunette. "Yes, of course. I was just fixing dinner, so I have to get back to the kitchen before it burns," she laughed the last part, hurrying out of the room before dinner did precisely what she feared.

Nowe allowed a quiet laugh…

"…red eyes…"

Nowe turned to Angelina in surprise. Not just because of what she said, but because she had growled it out in the dragon tongue. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hand at that point, and he almost winced.

"Angelina…?"

"…"

Trying not to frown, he finally just squeezed her hand and said: "Hey, how about I show you around? We don't want you getting lost here, right?"

"…kay…"

* * *

Verse 4

"This is the living room," Nowe said, gesturing for the room. "It's not much at the moment, but it does its job well."

Angelina looked around the room curiously. It was cozy; there was a fireplace just opposite the door, two bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes lining the wall to the side, and some easy chairs and couches surrounding the fireplace. The place was used quite often, she could tell by the air in the room. The fire crackled lightly as it ate up the logs thrown into it, warming the room significantly, compared to the rest of the house.

But then her eyes fell on something above the fireplace.

Suspended from a large, rusty nail almost the size of her fist, hung an item of which she didn't know its name just yet, but it looked like what Nowe carried around on what he called a belt. The only difference was its shape, as it was a little more straighter and less curved, and the handle, as she suspected it was, was smaller and a bit more squared. It was painted a dark red in the grooves, and it seemed to radiate a sort of… morbid feeling.

"Do you like it?" Nowe asked, bending down beside her with a sad little smile.

She blinked and looked at him in surprise. "The sword," he clarified, pointing up to the item she'd been staring at.

"…what is that?" she asked, pointing.

"… I suppose you could say it's a memento. A memory of someone very important." Angelina looked at him eagerly, and Nowe smiled. "I'd love to tell you more, but I'm not the best person to tell you about him."

Angelina pouted unhappily.

Nowe laughed at the expression. "Don't worry. We'll visit a friend of ours soon and he can tell you everything you want to know about him, okay?"

At that, Angelina brightened and smiled.

Just then, Manah walked in and said: "Alright, you two. Dinner is ready. Come on."

"Ah, coming, Manah," Nowe said, standing up again. "Let's go, Angelina."

"…" The tiny girl didn't answer, but she took Nowe's hand and followed after him.

She didn't know how her life would become now that she was away from the place she had called home, but perhaps… just maybe, this place could be like a second home.


	4. Chapter 3: Village

Just so you people know; when I get inspired, I update really, _really_ fast. And I've been very inspired, not only by Drakengard, but because the book "Eragon" has renewed my interest in the game.

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* * *

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**Chapter 3: Village**

Verse 1

Slowly, blue eyes slid open halfway and surveyed the room silently. Once no danger could be detected, the blue of the girl's eyes disappeared behind tired eyelids once more. It was something she would probably not lose for a long time; waking in the dead of night to survey the surroundings, only to find nothing and fall right back asleep. Living alone did that to you; you didn't trust anything.

Nowe had been different; he could speak like her, so did that mean he was like her? Or was she like him and Manah, like he said? She didn't know, but it didn't matter.

Angelina had never been in a situation where she didn't have to search every inch of her home to find something to fill her ever-grumbling tummy with. It was… soothing, she believed was the word. She'd never had to use it before, so she wasn't sure if this was the proper situation to use it in.

Nowe had come up to check if she was asleep earlier, after he had shown her what was to be her room. She hadn't been; she'd been up and looking out the window, one hand against the cool glass, and nearly her nose as well.

She liked it with Nowe, and Manah too, but it was still so far away from home. It was scary.

Nowe had come in then and told her a story to help her sleep. About a dragon raising a human child who was later found by other humans to become a "savior". She had asked all sorts of things about it throughout the story, wanting to know everything she could, until her eyes, traitors that they were, had betrayed her and had fallen shut when Nowe was getting to the good part.

Suddenly Angelina bolted up in her bed, eyes wide and sweat pouring down her body as she let out a pained scream. She couldn't understand why she was suddenly screaming; she wasn't hurt and she hadn't been frightened, or so she thought. There had been a flicker of motion across her eyelids, and then… then…

Damn, it was already fading from memory…

"Angelina?"

She looked up quickly upon hearing her name, spotting Nowe, who looked flushed and a little scared.

"Are you alright?" he asked, walking over to her and placing a tender hand on her head. She nodded meekly.

"…I'm sorry… I… guess I had a bad dream…" she whispered.

Nowe sighed in relief, and then Angelina noticed he was holding that thing of his he called a sword. "It's okay… it happens," he reassured, setting the sword away and pulling her in his arms.

Angelina sighed happily. She wasn't sure why, but Nowe was different. He wasn't like Manah, she knew that much, but she couldn't tell why he was. There was something in the way he held her that reminded her of her father.

Her father… she could only scarcely remember him. Couldn't remember the last time she'd actually seen him… had she even seen him at points? Or was that her mind playing tricks on her?

Ignoring her questions, knowing she would get no answers from either herself or Nowe, she simply allowed Nowe to run a hand through her hair. He seemed to like doing that a lot; she wasn't complaining.

"Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?" Nowe asked her softly.

She just hummed out an acknowledgement, allowing sleep to reach out and take her mind away from the land of the living, for now. She was asleep in mere moments.

* * *

Verse 2

Nowe watched as the tension seemed to fade out of the girl's body, before he smiled and set her down and pulled the covers over her. Stroking her fire red hair one last time, he stood up and grabbed his sword, moving out of the room as quietly as he could to avoid waking her again.

Waiting for him outside the room, was Manah. "How is she?" she asked quietly.

"She's alright. She just had a bad dream," Nowe replied equally quiet.

"That's good. I almost thought someone had broken in here…"

"Yeah… she does have a loud voice, eh?" Nowe chuckled out, and Manah allowed herself a quiet laugh.

They had both bolted awake when they head Angelina scream, each of them fearing the worst. Manah went to secure the first floor, while Nowe went to check on Angelina. Thankfully, nothing had actually happened.

"Hey Nowe," Manah suddenly said.

"What is it, Manah?" Nowe asked as he turned her way.

Manah didn't speak right away, but when she did, it was almost wistful. "Well… don't you think Angelina looks… a little familiar?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination… but the way she looked at me when you came home… I don't know… it was almost… like I was supposed to know her."

"I never actually thought about it. But I can't say she's really _that_ familiar…"

Manah seemed a bit unsure, but finally just shook it off. "Guess I'm imagining things, then. Anyway, let's go back to bed."

"Alright."

* * *

Verse 3

The following morning passed in relative silence. Manah fixed breakfast, while Nowe went out to practice. Angelina was still asleep, but neither was going to wake her until she either woke up herself or breakfast was ready.

Manah almost didn't grab enough ingredients for breakfast, still getting used to the fact she now had to feed three people, herself included. Not that she was really complaining. Though she would have never expected Nowe to show up with a small child, the scene had been strangely touching.

It was still hard to believe for her that all humans start as such small creatures, not to mention that she must have been just as little at one point.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a small yawn made her look up curiously. She smiled upon seeing the girl in question standing in the doorway, rubbing at her eyes with one hand. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" she asked politely.

"…" Angelina looked at her through half-lidded eyes. "…yes… thank you…"

Manah smiled at her, before she turned back to her cooking. "Breakfast should be ready in a while. Nowe is outside, practicing."

She heard a quiet hum, and then the quiet padding of feet heading off. Manah giggled. That girl sure had gotten attached to Nowe quite fast. Not that she really blamed her. It was very hard _not_ to get attached to the boy.

* * *

Verse 4

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Nowe reached up and wiped away the sweat from his brow. Nowadays, there wasn't really any need to be able to wield a sword, but he preferred to be safe than sorry. If a war _did_ break out, it wouldn't help him if he were rusty.

Suddenly feeling eyes upon him, he looked up and noticed Angelina standing in the doorway, watching him curiously, though she still looked to be half-asleep.

Nowe allowed a smile as he jammed his sword into the ground and plopped down on the grass, patting the ground next to him. Angelina toddled over and plopped down right next to him. Still smiling, Nowe reached out and ruffled the girl's hair. "Morning sunshine. No more nightmares?"

Angelina shook her head, her tousled bangs flying every which way.

Nowe looked her over again, but couldn't see what Manah could see in Angelina that seemed familiar. He couldn't remember having ever met anyone with hair as red as hers, male or female. All he saw was a tiny girl who needed help, though he knew it would never last. Children grew up very fast, he knew. And nothing was meant to last forever, anyway.

He had firsthand experience with that.

A sudden tug on his sleeve made him look up curiously. "…can you continue the story?" she asked cutely.

Nowe laughed. "Maybe tonight before bed, okay?"

"Moooohh…" Angelina whined, a sound Nowe recognized as something he used to make as a child whenever he couldn't get his way with Legna. He couldn't help it; he laughed.

She pouted unhappily, then yelped when Nowe poked her in her sides. Nowe blinked, then smirked almost evilly. Angelina meeped and made to run off, but Nowe captured her before she could, and less than 10 seconds later, she was howling with laughter as Nowe mercilessly tickled her.

* * *

Manah was about to call out to Nowe and Angelina that breakfast was ready, when she heard the small girl's laughter from outside. Peeking outside through the window, she only just managed to stop laughing when she saw what was going on.

Quickly, she hurried to the kitchen to finish the dishes and then went outside, as quietly as she could. Nowe never saw her coming until he yowled when she was the one tickling him. Angelina took her chance and spun around and before Nowe could even start to apologize, he was assaulted by both girls, laughing almost hard enough to hurt his stomach.

"Alright, alright!" he managed to get out amidst his laughing. "Alright, I give up!"

The girls were giggling as they finally relented, with Angelina sitting on Nowe's stomach.

"Hahah… Two to one was totally unfair, Manah…" Nowe laughed out.

"Oh, and picking on someone half your size isn't?" she quipped, still smiling brightly. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. "Now come on, or breakfast will be served cold."

* * *

Verse 5

After breakfast, Manah took to washing the dishes, as she didn't trust Nowe with that chore after he nearly broke everything last time. And Angelina couldn't really help her at the moment, but it wasn't like that was a problem. She was in a good mood, and she wasn't about to let anything ruin that at the moment.

Whether Angelina was familiar to her or not, she supposed it didn't even matter. She was cute, she was nice, and she was going to be staying with them for the time being.

Looking over her shoulder, she smiled as she saw Nowe help Angelina with combing out her tousled hair, a small smile playing on his lips. She'd be lying if she would be happy to see the girl go. Angelina made Manah feel like a little girl again, and this time, she was very happy with that.

* * *

"There we go," Nowe said, setting the hairbrush aside. "Good as new."

Angelina smiled up at Nowe, even as he picked her up in his arms.

"Manah, 's there anything we need from town?" he asked.

"Um… let me think…" Manah quickly ran over the inventory, then said: "Some eggs would be nice. We're almost out."

"Alright. We'll go and get some then. We shouldn't be long."

* * *

Verse 6

Despite the early hour, many people were already up and about. Nowe had shifted Angelina from his arms to his shoulders, where she now sat happily with her hands buried in his hair, looking around at everything. Nowe kept a firm grip on her ankles, to make sure she wouldn't fall off. Of course, he doubted Angelina would be that careless, but he didn't want to take that chance.

Many people gave them strange glances, but more often than not, they just looked at the small child with a small smile. They knew Manah and he had no children of their own, so this must be quite a shock, but it didn't really bother him.

"Oy, Nowe!" someone suddenly called out, and he turned toward the speaker in slight surprise, being careful not to jostle Angelina too much. The small girl blinked a little, but otherwise, she didn't say anything

"Yes sir?" Nowe asked of the man who had spoken. He recognized the man as Eduard, one of those average people whom never expected too much of their life and didn't much care either way.

"Where'd ya get that kid from all of a sudden? Ya left for a few days, and now that you're back, you're walking around with a kid on your shoulders." It wasn't meant to sound criticizing. Eduard seemed just as curious about Angelina as everyone else.

Nowe just smiled. "You mean Angelina? Well, we ran into each other when I was on my way home. She had lost her parents, so I offered to take her with me until her parents show up. I couldn't just leave her like that, right?"

Eduard hummed in agreement, before he looked at the girl with a broad grin. "So, your name is Angelina, eh? Well, make yourself right at home. If at any time ya need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask, arrite?"

Angelina was silent for a moment, before she nodded meekly and whispered: "Okay…"

After saying goodbye, they parted ways with Eduard to continue on their errand. But as they went, Angelina tugged on a strand of hair.

"What is it?" he asked, turning his head slightly so he could see her from the corner of his eyes.

"Is everyone like that?" she asked.

"Like what? Prepared to help everyone?" Angelina nodded. "Well, this is a small village. Everyone here knows whomever lives here, family ties, arguments. It's simply that sort of town, and everyone's happy with it." Smiling warmly. "You'll get used to it, don't worry. Now come on, let's go get some eggs, shall we?"


	5. Chapter 4: Tales

Okay, for those wondering when the action's gonna get in here, please be patient. I still have to set the stage but I'll promise that there'll be some more action soon (hopefully next chapter).

Oh, and I'll probably be busy this weekend, so updates will be less, for a while.

Ah… before I forget; SPOILER ALERT IN VERSE 7!

There.

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* * *

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**Chapter 4: Tales**

Verse 1

"The battle was long… but at long last, he came out victorious. The Goddess Seal was once more created to protect the world, and peace settled once more," Nowe finished telling Angelina the story he had been telling her for several days now. Finally, he had finished his tale, and, quite honestly, it was a load off his shoulders, even if she didn't know that..

Angelina could only stare, before she asked: "He… beat his parents…?"

Nowe smiled. "That's right. The next generation always surpasses their forefathers; it's the way nature goes for every race. Now, it's high time for bed, young lady."

The small girl didn't object and crawled under the blankets, snuggling her face into her pillow with a smile. Nowe smiled and kissed her on her forehead. "Goodnight."

"Hmm… 'night, Nowe…" Angelina mumbled sleepily.

Blowing out the lamp on the bedside table, Nowe rose from the bed and silently headed out, a soft smile on his face. Closing the door quietly, he finally headed for his own room.

It had already been 5 days since he had taken Angelina in, and already neither he or Manah could imagine life without her. She was truly something else, and Nowe couldn't imagine who would wish to abandon a lovely child like her.

Then again, there was one other reason why Angelina could have been alone, but Nowe was wise enough never to bring it up. If Angelina was ever around when he spoke of it, he could do so much damage to her mind. No, it was better if he never spoke of it and simply kept her hope alive.

Quietly, he returned to his own room. No use spending the entire night thinking like that.

* * *

Verse 2

A gasp ripped itself loose from her throat as Angelina snapped wide-awake in an instant. She blinked almost owlishly, before she whimpered softly and pulled the blankets over her head. After the first time she had woken up screaming, she had been able to keep her voice in check, just so she wouldn't wake Nowe and Manah.

That didn't mean the nightmares stopped coming, though. She couldn't understand why they came though. Back at the ruins she never had nightmares. Or at least, not ones that made her snap awake in the middle of the night.

Angelina still couldn't remember much of the dreams… but one thing continued to burn itself against her eyelids every time.

Every time the dream came to an end, she would only remember seeing red. And a lot of it.

Shutting her eyes, Angelina simply prayed that there'd be no nightmares this time.

* * *

Verse 3

Morning came fast that day, and as Manah prepared breakfast, Nowe went out to practice again. It was their little routine they had set up over the years, and both were content. Even when Angelina came into the picture, the routine hardly changed a bit.

By then, all the villagers knew of Angelina and everyone treated her just like any other child of the village, not giving even a hint of the fact that she was not even born there. After all, it wasn't like it really mattered.

Just then, Manah heard Angelina come downstairs with a yawn, and couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, 'Lina. Sleep well?"

Manah wasn't sure when she'd started shortening Angelina's name, but the girl in question had no objections, so she didn't see the problem.

Angelina nodded and said: "Yeah… thank you."

Manah merely smiled. "That's good to know. You mind getting Nowe? I'm just about done."

"Kay." And with that, she toddled off to get the brunette.

The blonde was still smiling as she finished breakfast. She didn't remember the last time she smiled so much. Having Angelina with them really changed Nowe and her. And it made her wonder if this was how a parent would feel.

Just as she finished setting the table, Angelina toddled back in, followed shortly by Nowe, who was wiping the sweat from his brow. Manah silently helped Angelina climb on her own chair, before she settled down along with the others to eat.

* * *

Breakfast passed silently, as it always did with them, and after, they each did their own chores. Angelina did her best to help, and was doing a reasonable job, dragging a chair over and climbing on top of it so she could help Manah with the dishes, or helping Nowe chop up firewood for when winter were to come around.

In that aspect, she was different from most children her age, as she wasn't too fond of playing and preferred to make herself useful to Nowe and Manah. But Nowe suspected that had something to do with how she spent the first few years of her life.

Speaking of which, he didn't even know how old Angelina was. She looked to be a little under ten years, but she could be smaller than she should be, so he wasn't about to pin an age on her. Not yet, at least.

Stretching once, Nowe finally said: "So, we head off tomorrow?"

Angelina looked up in surprise, but Manah just smiled. "Sounds good. We'll probably be a little early, but that shouldn't be much of a problem."

Nowe smiled, before he turned to Angelina. "We're going to meet Hierarch Seere, a friend of ours. He's the one I mentioned to you before." At first, she seemed a little bit hesitant, until she realized whom Nowe was talking about.

She smiled at the prospect of learning about the sword hanging on the mantle above the fireplace, though she couldn't understand why…

* * *

Verse 4

The following day began roughly the same as any other, with the obvious exception being that they had to prepare themselves for travel. Though much of the preparations had already been completed the day before, there were still things they could only do before they left.

Though Angelina was afraid that something might happen to the house once they left, she trusted Nowe when he told her it would be fine. They loaned horses for the trip, which Angelina didn't mind in the least. She had never been on a horse before, but it surely didn't seem that hard when she had watched others ride on them before.

And as such, they were off.

* * *

It was a long trip, but Angelina was having the time of her life. The rocking of the horse had taken her a while to get used to, and when she had, Nowe and Manah had suddenly made the horses go faster, which surprised her, for a moment.

She couldn't help but notice that this was a lot faster than she could run. Not only that, but the horses also seemed to be able to continue running like that for much longer.

When the sun reached noon they finally took a break, allowing their horses to drink and eat as well. Angelina fiddled with a few blades of grass, sometimes pulling them loose and other times twirling them around her finger, to keep herself busy as they waited for their horses to recover their energy.

That time was mostly passed with idle chat, making it seem like it hadn't really been that long.

Finally they were ready to move again, and they mounted their horses again, with Angelina sitting on the saddle in front of Nowe. She wasn't really sure how long it would take to get there, but she didn't care all that much.

They'd get there, eventually, that was all that mattered to her.

* * *

Verse 5

It took them almost 3 days to reach the Grand Shrine, and Nowe couldn't help but smile at the look of awe on Angelina's face. He wasn't about to blame her; the Grand Shrine was much larger than the Goddess' Castle, and unlike the castle, the shrine was actually inhibited.

The Knights that lived in the shrine were mostly new bloods, and thus most of them didn't even know of Nowe or Manah, and they preferred it that way. Seere still led them all, being the Hierarch and all.

After dismounting their horses and giving them to a couple of stable boys, Nowe took Angelina's hand and they ascended the stairs leading into the shrine itself. Angelina looked around once more, before she tugged on Nowe's arm.

"Nowe… who lives in this house?"

Nowe laughed. "It's not really a house… but I suppose it's the home of the Knights of the Seal."

"I thought the Knights of the Seal were bad guys…"

"They were. But that was a long time ago. Now they protect the new Goddess Seal without the necessity of the districts." Angelina nodded in understanding, watching everyone around them as they continued to walk.

"Why does everyone look the same…?"

Manah smiled at the girl's questions. "They only look the same because they were armor. It protects them from danger and makes sure that they don't get hurt." Angelina looked at her strangely but Manah just ruffled her hair. "Don't worry your little head about it so much. You'll understand better once you're older."

Though clearly not satisfied with just that, Angelina didn't question it. She'd ask again some other time, when she wasn't trying to remember which way to go. The shrine was far greater than anywhere she had ever been, and she didn't doubt it could probably fit the whole village itself with room to spare, and she couldn't help but wonder what all that room was used for.

* * *

"Seere! I'm home!" Manah called out with a smile on her face.

The Hierarch nearly tumbled off the ladder he had been standing on in surprise. Here he had been looking for a decent book to read from the library, and who should pop up but his sister? "Manah? Is that you? You're early," he said, as he slid down the ladder and down to the ground. "I hadn't expected you to arrive just yet."

"Sorry about that," Manah laughed, and Nowe allowed a small chuckle, his hands behind his back. "But we agreed that you might be interested in this, too."

Seere cocked his head curiously as Nowe walked over, before he looked behind him and said: "Okay, come on out, Angelina."

Before Seere could question Nowe, a tiny head topped with red hair peeked out from behind the youth's legs, looking over to Seere with a single dark blue eye. Seere's eyes widened almost comically as the girl slowly stepped out from behind Nowe, one hand holding Nowe's.

"Oh my… who is this lovely lady?" Seere asked with a smile playing on his lips.

"This is Angelina. She's staying with us until her parents turn up," Manah said. "'Lina, this is my brother, Seere."

Angelina looked at Manah strangely, before she turned to look toward Seere again. "…he… hello…" she said meekly, before she ducked back behind Nowe. Seere allowed a giggle.

"Kind of shy, isn't she?"

"Only around new people she meets," Nowe said with a chuckle, gently pulling Angelina out from behind him. "It's okay, Angelina. Seere is our friend. You can trust him, okay?"

"…kay…" When Nowe pushed her lightly to her back, she stumbled for a moment, before she straightened. She now stood only two feet away from Seere, whom was smiling at her gently. Just by his smile she could tell he was okay. But there was something else about him, and she didn't mean just his size.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Angelina," Seere said as he offered her his hand. "I hope we can become good friends."

Angelina hesitated for a moment, then finally accepted Seere's hand in her own. "Um… nice to meet you, too, sir…" she said quietly, not meeting Seere's gaze.

"You may call me 'Seere', Angelina," Seere said kindly. "I don't mind. Do you mind if I call you 'Angelina'?"

"Um… no, not really…"

Seere smiled kindly. "Well then, I'm sure you must all be hungry from your trip. Let's proceed to the dining room for dinner."

"Thanks, Seere," Manah said warmly.

* * *

Verse 6

Unlike dinner at home, at the Grand Shrine it was filed with small talk. But Angelina supposed it was only natural, as Nowe and Manah probably hadn't seen Seere in some time, and they felt they needed to catch up on lost time.

Seere was very nice, that much was obvious. But old habits were hard to break and Angelina found herself keeping a careful eye on him despite knowing that he wouldn't try anything. A little sliver of a thought at the back of her mind told her to be weary of everyone, especially those who seemed to be unable of causing damage. The best predators are those that don't look like they're hunting.

The conversations between Seere, Nowe and Manah were usually about things she had little to no knowledge of, but sometimes it concerned more everyday subjects and she found herself adding her own two coins every now and then.

What bothered her a little, though, was that when new dishes of food were brought in, it were always girls carrying the dishes and setting them on the table before they left again. She couldn't help but wonder if they were the ones who made all the food. It would make sense; not even Manah could make so much food in so little time, but still, it bothered her, a little bit.

* * *

As dinner began to come to an end, Seere turned to Angelina. "Angelina, do you like stories?" he asked her kindly.

At the word 'stories', Angelina perked up and smiled. "Love 'em!"

Seere smiled. "Well, we have that much in common. You remember the library where we met? All those books you saw are filled with stories."

Angelina almost gaped. "All of them?"

"That's right. Do you want to hear some?"

She nodded eagerly, not noticing the smiles on Nowe and Manah's faces. Rising from his seat Seere helped Angelina out of her own and guided her back to the library, the girl smiling brightly.

"She's infectious, isn't she?" Manah asked with a smile as she stood.

Nowe chuckled as he rose as well. "Well, there's no denying her presence has a tendency to grow on anyone."

"Let's just hope Seere won't attempt to steal her away from us."

Nowe couldn't help himself and laughed.

* * *

Verse 7

"…and thus came an end to the tyranny of the King. The Bard wed the Princess of the kingdom, and, with her as his Queen, he guided the people through an age of true prosperity. The end," Seere said, closing the book as he said that.

Angelina had been listening anxiously, hanging on to his every word as he told her the story he had chosen. Seere was almost as good at story telling as Nowe, the only difference being that Seere had an entire collection of stories ready to tell.

"Well? What do you think?" Seere asked.

"Hmhm. It was nice… Um… are there any stories about dragons?" she asked.

"Ah, I see you like dragon stories, eh?" Angelina nodded. "Alright… then I will tell you one from memory. This is a story you won't find anywhere else."

Angelina's eyes shimmered at that prospect and she leaned her face in her hands as Seere cleared his throat.

"Once upon a time, there lived a noble family. They were proud and just rulers, and had given life to two loving children; a boy whom would eventually take over after his father and rule in their castle, and a girl, whom would be wed to the neighboring land's heir, also the childhood friend of her brother.

"All three of them grew up into strong children, but the young lord was strongest of all. When he was training with his father, he would always give it his all, and never give up. This would stay with him until the day he died, they all knew. Their lives were safe, and secure…

"Until the day came when a new Goddess Seal had to be chosen. That day, the Young Lord's sister was chosen to become the Goddess, much to everyone's dismay. As a Goddess, she could never be a normal woman again. This was where all the trouble began…

"A powerful nation, called the Empire, sought to break the seals on the world, and had already destroyed all but one; the Goddess Seal. And as such, they assaulted the castle of the Goddess. The three children were told to escape, while their parents would attempt to fend off the Empire.

"But there was one thing they had not counted on; the Empire had enlisted powerful, black dragons into their midst. These black dragons were known to be the most vicious ones of their kind, despite that they were the youngest clan of their race. They were ruthless, without a sense of remorse for humans.

"One of these dragons broke through the defenses of the castle, and made its way toward where the Young Lord's parents were. The Young Lord could do nothing but watch as the dragon slew his parents. He fled with his sister and friend, but both now bore scars from that tragic day; not physically, but mentally. The horror they had witnessed would never go away.

"The children escaped, and they were from then on protected by soldiers of the Young Lord's father. They, and his friend's soldiers, banded together to form one army, which they called the Union.

"For years, the Union fought off the Empire with all their might, and protected the Goddess in what would much later be called the Goddess' Castle."

Angelina listened anxiously, but something in the back of her mind told her she had heard this before…

"One day, the Union was completely overwhelmed by the Imperial army that assaulted their castle. They could do nothing against the onslaught of attacks, but the Young Lord, by now a man, still spurred his troops on, his heart burning with revenge for the death of his parents. His rage could not be quenched until he had slain everyone in the Empire, and because he would never give in to pain or fatigue, he soon became known as a demon.

"But even that battle proved to be too much for him, and he was fatally injured, and yet he continued fighting, even as the pain almost made him wish he could die. Then he saw the flag of the Union on the castle burning, and realized that the Empire was inside. Fearing for his sister's life, he ignored the pain of his body and rushed for the castle.

"When he reached the courtyard of the castle, he saw that the Empire had captured a dragon; a red dragon."

Angelina's eyes opened wide. "But I thought the Empire only had black dragons?"

"Black dragons are truly strong; but still only the weakest of their kin. Because they were still the youngest of the race, they were easier to control. Other dragons would never agree to working with humans. They were probably trying to turn the dragon into their slave."

She nodded in understanding, before she quipped: "Hey, don't stop. 's Just getting good!"

"Ah, okay, okay," Seere chuckled.

"Ahem… The Young Lord had never forgotten that it was a dragon that had slain his parents, and, despite that the dragon was not even the same color, a dragon was a dragon, and his rage nearly became the dragon's downfall… had she not spoken to him.

"She was dying, yet not afraid of death. She taunted the Young Lord into killing her, but her voice made him halt. And then he asked if she still wished to live. If she did, she would have to make a pact, with him."

"…? A pact…?"

"A pact would mean that they could save their own lives, their power would be far stronger than ever before… but at the same time, they would be bound to each other until the day they died. It was something she was not prepared to give him.

"But when he slew all of the Imperial soldiers that chose to return at that moment, she commended his strength and agreed to make a pact with him.

"Once the pact was completed, the Young Lord had paid another dreadful price; for the pact to take effect, he had to sacrifice his voice, rendering him completely mute to all but the dragon to whom he was now bound.

"Together, they wiped out the Empire's army, and protected the Goddess from death. From then on, the Young Lord's friend began to fall into despair at the horrors around him. He was, physically and mentally, much weaker than the Young Lord, now even more so because of the pact.

"They were forced to leave the castle and travel for the Elf Village, which was bound by eternal neutrality. But by the time they got there, it was already destroyed.

"Despair now clouded the Young Lord's friend all the more, even when they soon had a new destination. The Young Lord wished to explore a little more with the dragon, and sent his friend and the Goddess off, believing them to be safe together. Perhaps he would have never let them go alone if he knew…

"When he met with his sister next, his friend was captured, and she was alone with but a mere amount of soldiers, and without the Hierarch who should have protected her. He went in search of both the Hierarch and his friend, but found only the Hierarch. His friend was nowhere to be found, and they were forced to move on.

"Little did they know that his friend's despair would be used against him. The Empire used his despair, and most of all, his anger toward the Young Lord, to turn him into a soldier of the Empire."

Angelina gasped in shock, and Seere allowed it to sink in, before he continued.

"He was sent to retrieve the Goddess, led by the belief that the Empire would merely remove the seal from the Goddess so she could be a woman again. Thus, he went to retrieve her, on the black dragon he had been granted, with whom he had made a pact of his own.

"Unable to strike his friend down, the Young Lord could only do his best to defend. His voice could no longer reach his friend, nor that of the Goddess.

"They could not stop him from taking the Goddess, even as they gave chase. As war erupted between the Empire and the Union, they returned their attention to the battle. The battle was in their favor, and they wiped out the army of the Empire… but there was little they could do against the Empire's sky fortress as it wiped out almost all of the Union in less than a minute.

"But they had made the mistake of giving their location away, and the Young Lord sped toward the fortress in the sky to rescue his sister. He faced off against his friend once more, and this time, he came out victorious. He then searched the entire fortress, but when he finally found his sister, it was already too late…"

The small girl paled and Seere nodded sadly.

"Yes… the Goddess was already dead by the time the Young Lord came for her. Unable to do anything, he fled the fortress, because without the Goddess, he knew the world would fall into ruin.

"Despite the world being in chaos, he and the dragon continued to fight… and won."

Angelina smiled and Seere returned the favor.

"The battle was won, but a new Goddess would have to be found… And then the dragon said this; 'I shall be the next seal. No human is a match for my strength.'

"And so, she became the next seal, and then she was gone…"

Angelina sniffled, and reached up to wipe at her eyes. She hadn't even realized she had started crying. When did that happen?

"Angelina?" Seere asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Angelina nodded as she removed the last tears. "…sorry…"

"It's alright. I can understand if you think the ending was a little sad, but it's how the war was finally stopped." Offering an apologetic smile, he said: "Not all stories end with happily ever after, I'm afraid."

The small girl allowed a tiny smile and nodded, showing she understood.

"'Lina!" Manah's voice called out, making her look up. "Come on, girl. It's time for bed."

"Okay!" Angelina called back, allowing Seere to help her back to her feet. "Thank you," she said with a quick bow, and then hurried off toward Manah.

Seere watched her go, smiling softly to himself, before he brought a hand to his heart and hung his head. "…Caim… I hope you finally got _your_ happy ending…"

* * *

Verse 8

As the quiet settled in the Grand Shrine, the guards conversed silently, waiting for their shifts to be over. As they laughed, none of them noticed the shadow skittering through the hallways. It could just as well have been a trick of the light.

"…"

Slowly, quietly, the door to the library was forced open, and the shadow hurried inside. Running soundlessly, the shadow ran between the bookcases, scanning, searching… until they encountered what they had searched for.

"…"

Looking around, the shadow reached out and grabbed a letter opener from a nearby desk, holding it like a vampire hunter holding a stake.

"…"

Reaching up, the shadow clung to the edge of the portrait, and pulled sharply. The painting broke off its nail and crashed to the ground. Pausing to listen, the shadow hid in the darkness until it was sure it hadn't been heard. Then again, maybe the guards had heard but couldn't be bothered to care.

"…"

The shadow stalked toward the portrait on the ground like a hunter that just cornered its prey. Bringing up the hand in which they clung to the letter opener, the shadow reared back and focused on a single point.

"…"

With a sickening crash the letter opener tore right through the portrait - and then through marble as the shadow ripped and tore at the portrait, destroying it completely. Only once it was completely sated did they back off.

"…"

Just then, the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, briefly illuminating the shadow's face…

And the truly demonic grin that almost split the figure's face.


	6. Chapter 5: Loss

Right… you peep want action? You got it.

Slight spoilers for those who haven't finished the first ending of Drakengard 2.

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* * *

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**Chapter 5: Loss**

Verse 1

Before long, morning came once more, and the Grand Shrine began to bustle with activity. Even more so than there usually was. Nowe groaned a little into his pillow, before he pushed himself up. Rubbing his head, he tried to figure out what woke him up.

Giving a yawn, he got out of bed and hurriedly dressed, before he left the room to see what all the fuss was about.

It didn't take him that long to figure out as he neared the library and saw all the guards.

"What's going on?" he asked as he approached.

One of the knights looked up and said: "Seems someone snuck into the library while we weren't looking and vandalized a painting of the former Hierarch."

"Hierarch Verdelet? Why would anyone want to do that?" Nowe asked in slight surprise.

"That ain't what's bothering us as much right now; what does, is how they got past the guards. No one heard or saw anything. It's scary the way no one saw anything…"

At that, Nowe frowned. That didn't sound right. He knew from experience that you couldn't walk through the Grand Shrine at night without _somebody_ knowing you were on the move. It was impossible to walk through the place undetected.

"May I have a look inside? Maybe I can figure out how this person came in…" he offered.

"Well, you can try. Doubt you'll find anything. The Hierarch is already inside, but he shouldn't mind." Nowe nodded his thanks and entered the room as the door was opened.

* * *

"Hierarch Seere?"

Seere looked up at the sound of Nowe's voice, before he called out: "Over here, Nowe."

The former Knight walked over, and couldn't help but wince at what he saw. The portrait of Verdelet had really been vandalized. You couldn't even tell what was supposed to be on the painting, as the canvas had been sliced to ribbons. The letter opener that had been used to cause the damage was speared into the ground, up to the hilt.

"What meaning is there to such an act?" Nowe questioned softly.

"I cannot say…" Seere admitted. "Verdelet had enough enemies when he was alive, but as far as I know, they should all be dead by now."

"Should be, being the key phrase… right?"

"Exactly. This could be a final act of revenge… but, whoever it was, they were strong."

"What makes you say that?"

Seere gestured for the letter opener. "Try to pull the letter opener out of the ground."

Nowe walked over and took hold of the hilt, pulled - and let out a yelp when the letter opener didn't budge an inch. "What the?"

"As you can see… it was jammed into the ground with enough force to keep it lodged there."

Nowe stepped back and frowned. This was indeed peculiar; what kind of man could have done this?

"Who could have done this?"

Seere had no answer to Nowe's question, and could only stare at the letter opener as if it knew something that it wouldn't share with either of them.

* * *

Verse 2

At breakfast, both Seere and Nowe made sure not to mention what had occurred in the library. The last thing they wanted was to worry everyone any more than they already were. Angelina seemed to be in a good mood, and they weren't stupid enough to ruin it for her.

She was telling Manah all about the dream she'd had that night, for once actually remembering her dream, which had been a very good one by the sound of it. Of course, Manah was listening enthusiastically to what the girl had to say, sometimes asking this or that about the dream, and Angelina was more than happy to tell her everything.

It was amazing how much one single happy dream could make anyone feel better.

Seere had half an ear on the conversation between his sister and Angelina, and allowed a secret smile when he realized her dream had spawned from the stories he had told her yesterday.

Suddenly…

"…there was someone else there…" Angelina suddenly said, turning a little thoughtful. "I dunno who he was, but he protected me!"

"Is that so?" Manah asked with a smile. "My, he must've been very brave then."

"Hmhm. But he didn't say anything… he didn't even say his name."

Manah tried not to wince as she was almost immediately reminded of another individual who would never speak, if only because he couldn't. Though it had become considerably less over the years, the memory of Caim still sent a shiver up her spine.

"Well, maybe he simply couldn't speak. There are many people who have lost their voice," Nowe said, finally deciding to speak as well.

Angelina turned to Nowe and cocked her head curiously. "But… how do you lose your voice?"

"There are numerous ways. I'm not too sure how it works, though…" Nowe said with a small shrug.

The small girl just looked confused, but Seere decided to speak as well at that point. "Angelina, was there anything else special about him?"

Humming in thought, Angelina tried to recall something else. "…yeah." She pointed to her left eye. "This eye was white," she stated simply.

Nowe almost choked on his drink. "What? White?" he asked once he could speak without coughing.

"Hmhm." Angelina didn't seem to notice Nowe almost choking, smiling warmly. "It was really weird… but he was nice. I don't mind if he couldn't speak; that don't make him a bad guy."

"That 'doesn't' make him a bad guy, 'Lina," Manah chided with a small pat on her shoulder.

"Sorry…"

Nowe allowed a small smile. She still had a bit of trouble with verbs every now and then, but Manah was always sure to correct her whenever necessary. Still, that didn't change the fact that she had, apparently, seen a man she had never known in her dreams; one who could not speak and had only one eye.

Sure, he had told her about Caim when he told her the story about "Dragon Child", but he never called any names, nor how they looked. He had referred to Caim only as the "One-eyed Man". And he surely hadn't said that Caim was blind on the left side.

Just how on earth did she…?

Before he could ask anything else, a knight suddenly stumbled into the room. "Hierarch Seere! Monsters have appeared to nearby what was once the District of Shining Life!"

Seere gasped, and Nowe shot up in his seat. "Monsters? How many are there?"

"We cannot say… possibly over a hundred!"

Finally, the Hierarch nodded and said: "Send as many knights as you can to secure the area. Nowe, I hate to ask you this, but…"

"Don't worry, sir. I'll go and assist the knights," Nowe said with a small bow, before turning to Manah. "Manah, please protect Angelina, okay?"

Manah nodded, but Angelina could only stare. Then she was out her seat and clung to Nowe's leg. "No, no! You can't go!" she cried out.

"Angelina…" Nowe whispered, before he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her away, bending down to her level. "It'll be alright. The district isn't that far from here. I'll be back before you know it."

Angelina pouted and she looked almost ready to cry. "But… if you go, you could get hurt!" she protested.

Nowe was silent. He couldn't deny that, he knew, but he didn't want to upset her either. "Yes, I could, but I can win, too. Life is full of choices… and you sometimes have to make a few tough ones." Ruffling the little girl's hair, he smiled reassuringly. "So don't worry about me. I will be back, you have my word."

The little girl tried not to cry, but then she nodded and held up one hand with her pinkie extended. Nowe smiled and locked his with hers. Once he released it again, he ruffled her hair one more time, then stood and hurried out after the knight whom had brought the message.

Angelina watched him go, even as Manah came up from behind and placed her hands on the smaller girl's back. "He'll be alright. He always comes back alive," she promised. But even as she said that, Angelina just wouldn't relax.

"…"

* * *

Verse 3

Allowing a small, sad smile on his face, Nowe mounted one of the steeds given to him. He could probably fly all the way to the district; he still knew the way even after so long, but he knew Manah would try to get Angelina to see them off, and he wasn't ready to show the girl his big secret. Not yet, at least.

Still, he would have never suspected he'd ever return to any of the districts at all. After all that had happened, he just wished to forget. But he realized he couldn't; you couldn't just erase what had already happened. It was a futile effort in the end.

As the horses galloped away, Nowe glanced back over his shoulder, and smiled when he saw Manah standing on the walls, holding Angelina in her arms, who was waving after the troops. Waving back, he tried to put all his reassurance into the gesture, before he turned and hurried after the squad of knights.

* * *

Verse 4

The District of Shining Life was once a desolate land, held a prisoner of the Holy Flowers, the 'key' of the district. Now that the key had been destroyed, plants and flowers of all varieties once more decorated the landscape. Because of this, it had become quite attractive to many people whom wished to build a home somewhere new.

Right at that moment, a small girl wished feverishly that her family had never decided to act on that thought.

She could only huddle in a corner, crying as she prayed that it would all be over soon. She had never been trained to be a warrior like her father and brother. Even her mother had grabbed a lance to help fend off the monsters, but she could do absolutely nothing. At times like this, she hated to be the youngest, but even if she had not been, the outcome would not have been different.

She whimpered softly and tried to stay hidden along with the other children, knowing that right then, her survival depended on it. And she prayed that this would all be over soon.

* * *

Verse 5

The district had barely changed, with the obvious exception of the flowers that decorated it. The monsters present at that time were no different than the ones Nowe had encountered on his first day as a knight when he came here the first time. They weren't anything like the monstrosities that had risen to the skies when all the seals had been broken.

As the knights arrived, all dismounted immediately, grabbing their swords and shields and then rushing into the fray. Nowe waited for a moment to actually survey the battlefield first.

He frowned as he realized something; a little further down the valley, across the cliff, a fire was raging and he could hear the sounds of screams that were definitely not those of the monsters present. It would take ordinary men too long to reach the other side by the more commonly used route, as there was no bridge across.

Dismounting, Nowe couldn't help but smirk. "Guess it's a good thing I'm no ordinary man…"

With that, he ran as fast as he could toward the edge of the hill, summoning the energy required, and then he leapt. The second he came to a stop in the air, his hair flashed a brilliant white as his pupils lengthened into slits and a burst of light erupted from his back. Transformation now complete, Nowe sped through the air and rushed for the other side, sword already out and ready to take out anything daring to stand in his way.

* * *

Verse 6

She whimpered when she heard her brother scream, covering her ears to block out the horrid sound. There was nothing she could do, but god knows she truly wished she could do _something_. Even if it was merely a simple thing, she wanted to be able to _do_ something!

'If only I were stronger…' she thought. 'If only…'

And then a roar of pain echoed across the valley, followed by many others, startling her. Blinking, she finally took a chance and peeked out from behind where she sat. What she saw was something she would have never expected to see.

There was a man, older than her brother, but much younger than her father, and he was tearing through the monsters with his sword as if they were nothing but air. He even cut through those with which her father had troubles, and he didn't even take any hits and just jumped or spun out of the way, catching the monsters from behind in a flash.

She couldn't help but wonder if he was even human to finish all those monsters so easily…

Just then, she heard more shouts, making her look toward the side, where she noticed an entire group of people decked in armor storming straight toward the monsters. A tiny smile broke on her face as only one thing entered her mind.

'We're… we're going to be okay…'

* * *

Verse 7

Nowe found it shockingly simple to be back in battle again. His age-old instincts kept him on his toes, even as the monsters surrounded him. He had been without a real battle for ten years and he almost felt like he was still struggling to save the world from total ruination. Only this time, it seemed to be so much easier.

The people there were all fighting for their lives, but many were injured, and already several had died, including several young boys. They had to finish quickly or they would all surely perish. Gathering energy quickly, he released the Valkyrie Claw, sending quite a number of monsters flying.

Soon enough, the monster army was almost entirely wiped out. The few remaining ones quickly fled, fearing for their lives.

As the people celebrated, Nowe reached up and wiped at his forehead, sighing in slight relief. At that point, he had never been more glad to have kept up on his sword practice, or this would've proven to be quite difficult.

Turning around, he saw that some of the knights were administrating first aid to the wounded as they rejoiced with their family. And Nowe couldn't help but wonder what they had been planning to accomplish.

Well, it would do him no good to ponder over it now. Some of the injuries looked really bad and would probably need extensive medical treatment. It'd be the best course of action to bring them to the Grand Shrine for now.

"Bro… brother…?" a small voice suddenly called out, and upon turning to the source, Nowe's heart clenched.

There, next the corpse of a boy, barely 15 years old, sat a girl, almost 10 years of age, 12 at the most. Her hair was a dark red color, close to brown, and curled near her shoulders, giving her the look of an aristocrat. Her mother was trying to get her away from the corpse, but the child screamed and cried, trying to get back to the boy.

Nowe could only watch hopelessly as she tried to reach out for her brother, as if that would return him to her. This was why he hated war; it cost so many innocent people their lives. And many times; the children were among those who didn't make it.

And even if they survived, the scars left behind would never go away.

Trying not to cry himself, Nowe turned away, even though he still heard the small girl's despaired cries. Involuntarily, he was reminded of Angelina; about how he _knew_, she would probably act the same way as the small girl.

They would have to return, soon, or the remaining survivors might not last long enough.

Nowe walked to the captain and told him of the situation, and pretty soon, everyone was on the move again.

And the girl was still crying…

* * *

Verse 8

Manah slowly opened the door, and smiled a little when she saw that Angelina was sound asleep. It was already late. Nowe probably wouldn't be back for a while, and Angelina had worn herself out, trying to stay up and wait for him.

Just then, she tossed a little and moaned, before a smile appeared on her face. Satisfied that she was dreaming peacefully, Manah quietly shut the door.

And as soon as she left, the smile faded and blue eyes slid open. Sitting up, Angelina looked outside through the window.

She had heard a voice… it was faint, but she could it hear it; it vibrated through her head, echoing not in her ears but her mind. It sounded so hauntingly familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before. Had she even?

Sitting up on her knees, she continued to stare out the window and began to search.

She remembered a voice saying;

"If you are ever alone, look up at the skies at night… Search for the blinking star and you won't be alone…"

Scanning the skies, she finally saw it; a star, blinking as if it was an eye blinking. She merely stared at it, until her head began to spin. She tried to stay awake, but soon, she fell back onto her pillow, and was sound asleep.


	7. Chapter 6: Girl of the Tower

About the name of the chapter; "Madelynn" is derived from "Madeline", which is a name meaning "High Tower".

Also, the story's Genre would probably be Angst, but I'm not too sure yet… if anyone can point out which it should be…

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* * *

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**Chapter 6: Girl of the Tower**

Verse 1

Angelina groaned when someone shook her by her shoulder, trying to move away from the gesture. She was _not_ in the mood to be woken up. Still, whoever wanted her up was persistent, and only followed her when she moved away.

"Go 'way…" she grumbled. "I'm asleep…"

She heard a soft chuckle that should be familiar, but she was still half-asleep, so she couldn't say for sure. "Oh, so that's how you say hello to me when I just came back? Where's my welcome back hug?"

At that, Angelina's eyes snapped open. "Nowe!" she cried out as she sat up quickly and hugged the brunette, who only laughed and accepted the hug.

"Ah, that's better," he said, ruffling the small girl's hair.

Angelina smiled at the gesture. She never liked it when Nowe went out alone; she couldn't explain why, but she worried. She didn't want anyone around her to get hurt, but with those especially close, she always wished she could do _something_ to help.

"I'm sorry I worried you…" Nowe said quietly.

She shook her head. "It's okay. You're okay, so it's alright."

Nowe allowed a smile, knowing she had a right to be angry with him for risking his neck, but it was simply the way he was. He could only hope he wouldn't have to do this too often. The last thing he wanted was having to save the world, again…

"Well, come on, it's about time for breakfast," Nowe finally said.

"Kay."

* * *

Verse 2

As the day progressed, Angelina became used to the Grand Shrine, and could almost easily find her way around. Her most favorite place had to be the library, though. Although she had yet to learn to read, she liked to look for books with lots of pictures so that she could make her own stories. And then she could read those to Seere and Nowe.

Pulling out another book, she opened it and searched it for enough pictures. Once she was satisfied, she hurried to her "reading corner", as Seere had called it, which was no more than the corner of the reading room, she sat down and flipped open the book to the first picture page.

And as she lost herself in the book, she failed to notice the door opening and closing. Just as she made to flip the page to find the next picture…

"What are you doing…?"

Blinking, Angelina looked up at the question. Standing just 4 feet away from her, was a girl she had never seen before. And she was sure she'd remember someone with such curls as the girl before her.

"Reading," Angelina finally said, and turned back to her searching for the picture.

The other girl watched her, then said, almost skeptically: "With pictures alone?"

With that, Angelina locked blue eyes with bluish-green ones. "…Do stories have to come in words alone?" she asked right back, and then turned back to the pictures.

The girl snorted, and Angelina peeked up without lifting her head. "Don't believe me? Then sit and I'll tell the story!" A glare was the response, and Angelina frowned. "…someone disappeared around you… didn't they?"

When the girl gawked, Angelina smirked. She'd guessed right on.

"You know… mama always said…" Angelina said, then hesitated, wondering if she should be telling this. Then she sighed and finished: "'Life is fragile… It breaks far too easily.'" Shrugging, she said simply: "But that shouldn't stop anyone… Not like you can do anything 'bout it, right?"

The girl bit her lip softly. Angelina waited for a moment, then brought up her hand.

"Angelina."

The girl looked at her strangely, looking down at the extended hand, before she took it in her own.

"Madelynn."

Angelina allowed a grin and patted the ground beside her. Madelynn finally relented and plopped down beside her. The small redhead flipped back to the first picture and cleared her throat as Seere always did.

"Okay, 'Once upon a time…'"

* * *

Verse 3

After that fateful meeting in the library, the two girls were practically inseparable. They spent most of their time in the library, and the rare times they actually left, they were always running together. Both were each other's first friend, and they couldn't have been happier.

Because Angelina preferred staying close to Nowe and Manah, she never really got out that much. That was why she knew almost none of the children in the village, simply because of that fact. Madelynn simply hadn't been much of a people person; her curls having always been the subject of teasing with children her age. Only her brother had ever stood up for her, and now that he was gone…

There were times when they told the stories they made up together to Nowe or Seere, and sometimes, they watched the knights practice their swordplay. Nowe was often out there as well, though he preferred to practice on his own.

Right now, they were watching as Nowe nimbly danced out of the way of an enemy only he could see. Madelynn could only stare in awe, while Angelina followed the motions with her eyes, memorizing them and categorizing them somewhere in her mind for later. Who knew when they could come in handy.

"… I wish I was that strong…" Madelynn suddenly said softly. Angelina looked up.

"…why?"

Madelynn allowed a tiny smile. "Then… then I could protect everyone and not be a burden… I…"

"…" Angelina looked at her friend for a moment, before watching Nowe. "… I don't want to fight… ever," she said simply.

Madelynn looked at Angelina. "Don't you want to protect everyone?"

"I do… but… does everything resolve around fighting?" she queried simply.

"In this world, it does…" Madelynn said.

"…" Angelina said nothing to that, and just turned back to watch Nowe.

Just as she turned back his way, Nowe stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow. He'd been at it for quite some time already, well aware of the two children watching him from the top of the staircase, where once, Gismor had stood watching over the Royal Duel. Nowe tried not to think about it too much, but there were times that he couldn't help himself.

Putting his sword away, he walked up the staircase to the girls. "Hey there. Enjoy the show?" he asked as the two stood up from their seats. Both nodded with smiles on their faces, even if Madelynn's looked a little forced.

With a smile of his own, Nowe held out both hands, allowing the girls to grab hold. "Well, come on. Lunch should be ready by now."

* * *

Verse 4

On the 4th day of their visit to the Grand Shrine, Manah finally announced it was high time to go back home. Angelina was reluctant to leave the shrine behind, but at the sudden reminder of, well, home, she felt herself missing it greatly.

However, before leaving, Nowe insisted on looking up someone else who lived there. Madelynn couldn't come, as her parents insisted on her returning to what they called "studying". Angelina still didn't know what that meant.

Walking after Nowe, holding his hand so she wouldn't get lost, she tried to memorize how to walk, but they took so many twists and turns, she lost track of where they were halfway there. And yet Nowe had no problems with knowing where he was going, so she decided to trust him.

In the end, they came to a single, solid door. Nowe reached out and knocked, hard, on the door. Probably to be heard on the other side of the door.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice called out.

"Just an ex-knight," Nowe said with a smile on his lips, and Angelina looked up at him in surprise.

But before she could question it, the woman chuckled and called out: "Oh very funny, Nowe…"

Without further ado, Nowe simply pushed the door open and tugged Angelina in after him, who followed a bit reluctantly.

Inside the room, a woman sat in a chair, setting aside a book she had probably been reading. She had darker hair than Nowe, done in a peculiar hairstyle. She looked nice enough, though, but… Angelina tried not to frown. There was something… eerily familiar about that smile of hers.

"Hello, Eris," Nowe said, with a nod of his head.

The woman, Eris, almost seemed to glow at that point. "It's good to see you again, Nowe. It's been almost half a year since your last visit."

"Sorry about that, but it's been a busy time at the village the past few months," Nowe said, before he tugged on Angelina's hand a little. "Eris, I want you to meet Angelina. Angelina, this is Eris. She's a good friend of Manah and I."

Angelina walked a little more toward Eris and bowed politely, like how she saw Nowe do at times. "Hello. Nice to meet you," she said.

"My, what a polite little girl you are," Eris said with a smile, crouching down to her level. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Angelina."

Angelina smiled. Eris was nice. She could grow to like her.

* * *

Verse 5

Nowe and Angelina staid to talk to Eris for about an hour, before Manah came to pick them up, saying they were heading home. Eris walked with them to the courtyard, saying she wanted to see them off. Angelina didn't mind in the least, and Nowe didn't seem to mind either.

When they finally reached the courtyard, Angelina looked around a couple of times, before she spotted a red head of curls. "Madelynn!" she called out, jumping up and down and waving to her friend. The girl in question looked up and smiled, hurrying over despite her parents trying to stop her.

As they stood opposite each other, the girls both stopped smiling at the same time, realizing it would be a long time before they would see each other again, quite possibly.

"… I'll miss you…" Madelynn said quietly.

"…" Angelina didn't say anything. She never did in such situations.

Instead, she held up her hand, pinkie extended. Madelynn smiled and locked hers with Angelina's.

"Friends forever?" Angelina asked.

Madelynn nodded. "Friends forever."

They stood for a moment longer before breaking apart, and Angelina hurried to where Nowe and Manah were talking to Eris. She still had to say goodbye to Eris, too.

As she stopped next to Nowe, she waited until Manah had finished her goodbyes. Then Angelina stepped forth and held out her hand. "Goodbye, Eris," she said.

Eris smiled and accepted her hand. "Goodbye to you too, then. I hope to see you again next time."

Angelina nodded enthusiastically, then hurried along after Nowe and Manah, waving to Eris and her best friend until Nowe pulled her on top his horse with him. Before they could leave though, one of the knights walked over to them and held out a wrapped package to Angelina.

"A gift from the Hierarch," the knight said simply.

Angelina looked at Nowe, who nodded once. She reached out and accepted the gift in her hands. It was heavy, but the weight was a familiar kind and she instantly knew what was in it. Smiling, she held the package close and said: "Thank you."

Nowe allowed a smile, before he waved to the people seeing them off, and then they were off, heading homeward once more.

* * *

Verse 6

As Madelynn watched her friend leave, she couldn't help but smile. It would indeed be a long time, she knew, but she would _never_ forget Angelina. But she couldn't help but wonder what kind of path in life Angelina would take. She didn't think the redhead was the type to just be a normal housewife to anybody. It just seemed wrong…

Shaking it off, she finally decided to leave that for later, _much_ later.

Tucking a few curls behind her ear, she turned and hurried inside before her parents could catch her. She was going to the library and create a story of her own that she could tell to Angelina once they met again.


	8. Chapter 7: Pleasure

I'm sure you've all been waiting for this; for me to finish setting the stage. Well, time to move on!

Note: Before writing this chapter I was reading "Bloodstained Hands" by "silver thorns"... and I think it affected the outcome of this chapter a bit.

**

* * *

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**Chapter 7: Pleasure**

Verse 1

Time seemed to fly after that. Though the frequency at which the monsters appeared began to grow, they still attacked mainly what had at one point been the districts. Because of this, the Knights of the Seal were stationed in almost every town to protect the people there.

Before long, it had been nearly 4 years since Nowe first found Angelina in the Goddess' Castle.

* * *

"'Lina!" Manah called out, and Angelina looked up from where she was working.

Blowing her messy bangs out of her eyes, she brought up the axe once more and sliced it downward on the unfortunate log she'd set up. It split into two neat pieces that seesawed a little on the ground before halting.

Reaching up and removing the sweat trailing down her brow, she made sure the axe was secured in the log, before she hurried to Manah.

Angelina had undergone a serious growth spurt during the past years, making her only a head shorter than Manah now. She preferred to keep her hair short, chin length mostly, though it never lost its tousled look. It also seemed to be getting a few lighter highlights, though that could be a trick of the light, too.

"What's wrong, Manah?" she asked as she approached the blonde woman.

Manah smiled a little, then asked: "Could you go to the market and buy a few things for me? I'd ask Nowe, but as you know, he's on patrol right now."

Angelina nodded. "Yeah sure. Was just about done anyway," she said, gesturing behind her for the firewood she'd chopped.

Once Manah had told Angelina what she needed to get, the redhead left with a small pouch of money secured in a hidden pocket of her jacket.

Ever since she was old enough, she'd done her share around the house whenever Nowe wasn't around. With the monster increase these days, he often patrolled near the edge of the village, though never for long and only to check on the situation.

Still, Angelina did what she had to do, and had grown up pretty well, except for that fact that she refused to act like most of the girls her age did. Neither Manah nor Nowe actually minded that much; it was the boys in town that gave most of the complaints about it.

Angelina had a nice enough face, and though her body was almost as muscled as that of the boys, she was often the center of attention with the male population of the village. And THAT was starting to work on the girl's nerves.

Ignoring all the boys as they passed her with phrases meant to win her over, she headed toward the market, searching for everything Manah said they needed. It didn't take her that long to find them, and it wasn't really that much, so she could keep one hand free as she walked.

And knowing her luck, she'd probably need it.

* * *

Hoisting the bag up, she paid the last merchant and headed back home. Once again, she ignored everyone, even when she picked up a familiar voice. The other teen ran to catch up to her, calling her name, and then made the mistake of grabbing her hand.

With speeds unmatched, Angelina ripped loose her hand and smashed her fist right to the boy's chin, sending him sprawling. "Trevor…" she growled out. "I told you the _last_ time that I _never_ wanted you to touch me again! Remember!"

Trevor winced as he stood, rubbing his chin as a small trickle of blood was visible at the corner of his mouth. "Come on, Lina, I just want to t-"

"And let's not forget I told you to stop calling me that!" she snarled, kicking him to his shin and making him yowl in pain.

"Argh! By the gods! Do you have to be so abusive?"

Angelina chuckled. "If it gets rid of losers like you," she said with a shrug. "Now don't let me catch you again…"

With that, she spun on her heel and walked away as if nothing happened.

* * *

Verse 2

Angelina allowed herself to calm as she stepped onto the lawn, but then she stopped dead. For a long moment, she stared in surprise, trying to understand what she was seeing. It seemed that Nowe had returned from patrol while she was gone, but…

He and Manah stood in the half open doorway, talking to two people she had never seen before in her life. One was a tall, broad man with dark red hair, the other a woman with light brown hair and a fragile looking face.

One look at Nowe's face told her he was annoyed with the two. That didn't happen often, but it appeared those people said the wrong thing.

So before Nowe could explode, she hurried around the two and said: "Sorry I'm late; got held up on the way."

Before Manah could say anything, the woman gasped. "Angelina?"

Blinking, Angelina turned to the woman. "…do I know you?" she asked. She could've sworn she'd never seen her before. She'd remember someone like her, she knew.

However, before she could say anything else, the woman stepped forward and enveloped her into a hug that almost knocked the wind out of Angelina. She simply froze, unable to understand what was happening. What was she missing here?

"I'm so happy…" the woman choked out. "I'm so happy we found you…"

At that, Angelina frowned and pulled herself loose. "Get away from me!" she shouted.

"Angel…?" the woman asked, and Angelina glared.

"Who are you? What do want from me!" she demanded, feeling her own temper begin to flare.

The woman looked ready to cry, and the man gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Angel… don't you remember us?" he asked her.

She shook her head viciously. "I never saw you before in my entire life and I don't want anything to do with you! Go away!" she shouted, and stepped up behind Nowe quickly. She hated to rely on Nowe like that; the man was at least a foot taller than he was, but she was even smaller compared to the stranger.

The man was about to speak, but Manah beat him to it. "Well? If you truly were her parents as you claimed, she would have recognized you!" she said, and Angelina could only just stop a gasp.

These people claimed to be her parents? How _dare_ they!

The hand gripping the bag in her hand clenched tighter and tighter, nails digging into her skin.

"It's been years!" the man protested. "You can't expect a child to remember anything from that time!"

"Funny, because she sure remembered her father calling her 'Angelina'," Nowe said icily. "Plus, she could speak quite well when I found her, which means she's been around people for most of her life until then!" Angelina was wise enough not to say anything about the language she spoke at-

Suddenly Angelina grinned. She figured out the perfect way to unmask those liars.

Giving the bag of goods to Manah, she stepped out from behind Nowe and said: "So that's it? You claim to be my parents? Fine! Then, translate this to Nowe and Manah!" Quickly reaching in the back of her mind for the information she needed, her voice took on the sound of a rasping growl/roar combination. The words spoken would be completely incomprehensible to most humans, but Nowe would understand perfectly.

And when the couple looked at her in sheer confusion, she knew she was right. "Well?" she demanded.

The man stammered, and the woman bit her lip, before she spoke. "Um… I'm sorry but I can't leave with you…?"

Angelina smirked and Nowe laughed coldly. "Hahah… not even close. She said 'I hate you more than anything, you disgust me and I want you out of my life right this instant'. To put it bluntly…"

The woman gasped, and the man only stared. "What are you talking about? That wasn't-"

So they still persisted? Then fine!

"Shut up!" Angelina screamed. "You're not my father, and she's not my mother! My-" She hesitated for a split second, before she took a deep breath and finally shouted: "MY PARENTS ARE **DEAD**! Have been for years! NOW GET _OUT_ AND LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

And she ran, dashing up the stairs, to her room, and slammed the door with such ferocity she nearly knocked it off its hinges.

For a moment, she merely stood, panting, before she dropped onto her bed.

There, she admitted it; her parents were dead. She'd known since before Nowe had come along, but hadn't wished to believe it, always denying that fact. And yet she still remembered them, vaguely, but she did.

They had had a special air about them; something different from anything she'd seen in any other couple. She wasn't even sure why, but it didn't matter.

Closing her eyes, Angelina coiled up on the bed and fell asleep.

It was funny, though; she finally admitted her parents were dead and she couldn't shed a single tear…

* * *

Verse 3

A soft prodding to her side made her aware of the fact that she was still amongst the living and had only dozed off.

"Angelina…? Angelina, honey? You awake?" Nowe…

Peeking out with one eye, she grumbled: "I am now… what is it?"

Nowe looked a little sad, for some reason, as if he did something to upset her. "Are you alright? You… you looked kind of distressed…"

She allowed a smile. "Me? Nah… just ran off before I did something I know I'd regret later…"

At that, Nowe laughed a little, before he sobered. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean… with…"

"My parents being dead…?" Nowe nodded and Angelina shut her eye again. "…yeah… 's about time I admitted it to myself, anyway…"

"…Angelina?"

She smiled meekly. "I knew… when you asked me to help look for them… I knew we'd never find them… because they weren't there anymore… I… I just didn't want to admit it. I guess… I guess I was hoping they were still out there. …god I'm so stupid…"

"No…" Nowe placed a tender hand on her head, making her look up at him. "No, you're not stupid. You were just young. When you're young, you tend to cling to whatever ray of hope you can find. It's completely okay to believe, really."

Angelina smiled. "Thanks Nowe…" she whispered.

Nowe returned the favor. "Anytime. Now come on. Lunch is ready."

At that, she instantly sat up. "Oh yeah! Man I'm starving!" she said, jumping off the bed and hurrying out the room, even as Nowe laughed at her antics.

* * *

Verse 4

At the same time, the 'couple' from before stepped up before their commanding officer.

"Our mission was a failure, sir," the man said.

Instantly, the officer whirled around from the map he was studying. "What? What do you mean 'a failure'? Your mission was to collect the child! What could be so damn hard about that?"

"It seems the ones she lives with have told her that her parents died," the woman said coldly, face hard and angry. "She didn't believe us when we told her we were her parents and demanded we leave. We couldn't risk staying for fear of drawing unwanted attention."

The officer growled under his breath. "Dammit… Without the girl, it's useless to break the seals. We _need_ that girl for our plans to succeed." Turning to one of the messengers, he said: "Get Viggo. Tell him I have a job for him."

As the boy rushed off, the woman asked: "Sir, if I may, what if it's not possible to get her?"

"…Then she will die. If the Knights of the Seal get a hold of her, everything is over. It'd be better if she were dead, then."

* * *

Verse 5

Even after 4 years, Angelina's instincts had failed to fade. And as such, she found herself wide-awake in the middle of the night, her eyes scanning over everything slowly. Her room was the same as always at this time of night. The only difference with four years ago was that it had now been personalized by herself.

She now had a bookcase full of books, most of them had been gifts from Seere, others she bought herself. Seere had been teaching her to read for the past three years whenever they were around the Grand Shrine. She'd even spent almost half a year there alone so she had more time to practice.

Eris had taken that time to, when she was free, teach her about how to defend herself properly. It seemed that Eris and Nowe were once Knights of the Seal, but eventually retired to live life their own way. Eris was very strong with the stick she used in their makeshift battles.

At first, she'd gone easy on the girl, but then she'd been forced to go all out when Angelina nearly clobbered her, with ease. She seemed to have a thing for handling a weapon, even it was a plain stick. And there was the fact that Angelina _hated_ to give up. Seere often joked she was a lot like the Young Lord he'd told her about, but she didn't mind. She just couldn't stand losing. The thought alone made her angry.

Though she never wanted to fight, she'd only be a burden to everyone if she couldn't at least defend herself a little bit.

She had a desk with a chair against the far side of the room. That was where she practiced her writing capabilities that Seere had also been trying to teach her. It was harder than reading, and too much writing hurt her hand, but she was doing the best she could.

Half-opened eyes suddenly snapped wide open but she remained motionless. She was lying with her back toward the window and as such, she had a clear view of the shadows of said window.

And something had just moved…

Instincts kicking in, Angelina slid her eyelids over her eyes, but let a sliver of white peek out from beneath her lashes. Her breathing remained even, calm and silent, even when she saw someone try to force open the window with as little noise as possible.

Once they had it open, the person climbed up, and now hung halfway through the window. One arm reached out, and when she saw it attempt to encircle her "sleeping" body, she lunged.

As fast as she could she grabbed the arm with enough force to bruise, digging her nails painfully into the person's flesh, before hauling them out the window and right up against the wall. Reaching under the pillow, she grabbed the knife she hid there at night, unsheathing it and facing the man-definitely man by the sound of it-in what little light there was.

"Dammit you brat!" the man snarled as he stood. "That hurt!"

"What do you want?" she demanded. "Answer me!"

"I don't have to answer to you," the man said coldly. "I just do as I'm told. Now be a good girl and come with me."

"To hell with you…" she hissed. "I'm not going anywhere!"

The man chortled, and a shudder suddenly ripped across her spine. "Fine then… you leave me no choice…"

Then the moon peeked out from behind the clouds… and the first thing Angelina saw was a set of viciously burning red eyes. As if a switch had been thrown, the grip on her knife tightened and she lunged as the man reached for the sword strapped on his belt.

A scream tore from the man's mouth when the knife was buried in his side, then ripped out and then reburied just under his ribcage. Angelina felt herself snarling in sheer rage as she shoved the short blade of her weapon over and over again into the man in front of her, the ferocity of her attacks sending blood spurting all over her and the man crashing to the ground.

And yet she couldn't care.

Then she reared back with a roar, knife held in both hands, and plunged the knife right into the man's heart.

And then everything seemed to stop…

Angelina couldn't move for what felt like forever, staring at the man's face that was now bloodied, sliced apart in multiple places, and no expression at all on his face.

Slowly, her hands managed to let go of the handle, and she rose slowly, backing off from the body equally slow. Looking down, she stared at her hands, blood dripping from the fingers onto the ground and down her palm.

"Angelina?"

She blinked then, and turned her head to the door. She saw Nowe standing there, sword in hand, with Manah right behind him. Nowe was staring at the body on the floor, before looking her way, questioning her with his eyes what happened.

Angelina wanted to speak, but found she had no words that would justify what she had done…

* * *

Verse 6

As Nowe removed the body from the room, Manah took Angelina with her and washed off all the blood she could find, starting with her face. She didn't ask the girl anything, but she was dying to, that much was obvious.

"… he broke in…" Angelina whispered, making Manah pause. "…I… couldn't… couldn't stop…"

Manah watched her sadly, and hugged her softly. "Hush, hush. It's okay. I know; you wouldn't have done it if you had a choice… I know it must've felt horrible, but everything will be okay. Here, watch." Taking Angelina's hands, the only thing that still had blood on them, she dipped them in the basin and gently scrubbed.

Once she pulled the girl's hands out, she held them up for Angelina to see. "See? All gone. You'll be just fine now, alright?"

Angelina looked at her hands silently. Manah rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's okay… don't worry. No one has to know; there's nothing there, after all."

The redhead didn't respond. But then she lunged forward and pushed her hands into the water, scrubbing at her hands viciously. "'Lina! Stop that!" Manah said, but Angelina didn't. Manah finally just grabbed her wrists and pulled them out of the basin. Locking eyes with the girl, she said: "Look at your hands, 'Lina. There's nothing there. Nothing."

Pulling her into a hug, Manah just held her close, running a hand through her hair. Angelina said nothing. Her expression was vacant, like she wasn't even conscious.

Manah finally pulled away and placed her hands on Angelina's shoulders. "Now, I'm going to help Nowe. Stay here for now, you hear me?"

"…"

Manah took her silence as yes and hurried out of the room. Angelina stood there for a while longer, and then her expression shifted and she began to tremble. She hurried back to the basin and scrubbed at her hands for all she was worth, scratching until her hands were numb.

She stumbled back against the wall and slid down, an expression of horror on her face.

"…why…?" she whispered. "…I… wanted… to kill him… make him suffer… I… I _enjoyed_ it…"

She shook her head violently and grabbed her head, curling up pathetically. She just couldn't take it!

No sane person was supposed to take _pleasure_ out of ending another's life in such a brutal way!


	9. Chapter 8: Blood's Bath

Finally finished this chap… Took me longer than I thought…

Oh and, Caim fans, REJOICE! Caim will appear once again in this third (unofficial) installment of Drakengard! XD

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* * *

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**Chapter 8: Blood's Bath**

Verse 1

The next morning, it was like nothing had happened, and Angelina liked to believe that… but she couldn't. No matter how much she scrubbed, the feeling of the blood coating her hands would not go away. And sometimes, her mind would betray her and she'd see it right there on her hands. Shortly put; she was a wreck.

She did her chores, but it was more of a way to keep busy and to stop thinking. She didn't want to think, didn't want to remember. Nowe and Manah were both very supportive, but she seriously did not feel up to being coddled.

Physically, she was fine, but mentally was a different story. She was starting to think she was insane, but made sure not to mention that around Nowe or Manah… The last thing she wanted was for them to think the same.

At that time, she'd have given anything for someone to talk to…

* * *

Chopping another log, Angelina didn't even bother to wipe at her forehead. There wasn't any sweat, even though she'd been at it for almost two hours. She couldn't be sure why, but it didn't matter all that much either way.

Grabbing another log and setting it down, she felt a shudder rip across her spine.

For some reason, she was constantly reminded of those red eyes. Manah's were a dark red, the ones of the man had been fiercely red, like flames. And it scared her. She knew it in her blood that those eyes had made her lose control, though she couldn't understand why.

There was something… _something_ about those eyes that scared the hell out of her.

Her hands shook lightly, before they clenched tightly and she growled. With one massive swing, the log was cleaved into two - and the axe forced into the stump she'd been chopping on. "Hey! Dammit! Not again…"

She placed one foot on the stump and pulled the axe back out. 'Keep doing that, 'Lina, and there won't be a stump left to chop on… then what do you do to keep from thinking?'

Sighing, she picked up yet another log.

There was another thing; since when could she use that much power in one stroke? She hadn't had it all the time, she knew that or she would've used it months, maybe years ago. It seemed to happen most often when her anger threatened to boil over. Or maybe when it actually did, she wasn't sure.

One thing was for sure; she didn't have control over it, and that made it scary.

Sighing, she chopped another piece of wood, reaching for the next…

Only to realize she was completely out of logs.

Blinking, Angelina could only stare, before she let out another sigh and stuck the axe in the stump while beginning to pick up the split logs. That should get them through the winter, she figured.

* * *

Verse 2

Angelina stood in front of her window. It was now nailed shut so tightly it'd make enough noise to wake the dead if anyone dared to open it. Nowe's doing. Not that she minded, really. If it worked, she was extremely grateful.

Still… she couldn't help but wonder; she got lucky last time. She had a knife then, still did. It was now on her every time of day, never in the same place twice in a row, and sometimes in places no one would _dare_ to look.

Despite that, a knife wasn't really much if the opponent owned a sword. The previous intruder had, but hadn't been given the chance to use it. She had a feeling the next wouldn't be like that. Assuming they reached her, that is…

And Angelina knew damn well she'd never be able to defend herself with just a knife for her whole life. Problem was, where was she going to find-

"…"

As if just realizing it, a slow smirk spread over her face.

* * *

Once Nowe and Manah had gone to bed, Angelina slipped out of bed and then out of her room. Carefully, she moved down the staircase without making even one of them creak. Such footwork came only from years of practice at hiding your presence from enemies, and now it came to good use.

Stepping down the final steps, she hurried soundlessly to the living room. It was almost, _almost_, pitch black in there, but her target was clear as day. In fact, it was almost as if it was glowing in the night, the red grooves catching any stray hint of light it could find and absorbing it as its own.

She had almost completely forgotten about it over the years, and always forgot to ask Seere when they were at the Grand Shrine. So she still knew nothing about the sword's owner. Still, it looked heavy, and that could only mean the wielder had been strong, at least. For a moment, she feared she wouldn't even be able to lift it, then shrugged it off.

Point one would be getting up on the mantle to actually reach the sword. She had grown, but she still wasn't tall enough to just grab the sword. Thinking quickly, she finally just climbed the side of the fireplace. It took a bit of jumping and then scrabbling up on top, but she got there, eventually.

Sighing in relief, she stood carefully and reached for the hilt of the sword. All she had to do was grab it, drag it back up, and then put it back before Nowe or Manah found out she'd taken it. Easy, right?

Right.

Heart thumping wildly, she reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword -

What happened then nearly made her want to throw up…

* * *

Verse 3

She blinked. Once, twice. Then she spun around. Spun around again. Then she stared. Stared some more. And maybe squeaked in fright, before her horror became etched onto her face. She reached up with one hand, covering her mouth.

Hundreds upon thousands of bodies lay sprawled across the grounds before her. She stumbled back, whimpering, and whipped around, away from the death around her…

But it didn't make a difference. Everywhere around her, the dead just stared right back at her.

She wanted to cry in sheer fright, but her body wasn't working the way she wanted it to.

And then there was a gentle touch on her shoulder. She tensed and whipped around on impulse, swinging the sword she still held - but her hand was caught by the wrist easily. She wanted to scream, but then she saw who stood before her.

"…it… it's you…" she whispered as the man lowered her arm and set the sword aside.

It was definitely him; the man she'd seen in her dreams before; brown, shaggy hair, messy bangs hanging just out of his eyes, but only just, and one blue eye looking down on her quietly. He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek, and she tensed, until his thumb stroked over the area just under her eyes, wiping away the tears of fear she hadn't even known she'd been shedding.

She blinked at him slowly, but he merely smiled at her. There was something in that smile that told her everything would be all right, even if he didn't even speak…

And then her mind suddenly made the connection; in Nowe's story about the Dragon Child, there was a One-eyed Man, who had made a pact with the Goddess Seal; the Red Dragon, and did everything to set the dragon free again. In Seere's story about the Young Lord, the Young Lord had made a pact with a red dragon to battle the Empire, and when it was over, the red dragon offered to become the seal…

It was then that she finally understood. The Young Lord and the One-eyed Man were one and the same.

She tried to speak, but the man placed a finger over her lips to silence her. There was so much she wanted to ask him, but he merely shook his head… and then he pulled her against him in a hug. She nearly tensed, but then she relaxed.

The man's hug… felt so good… even better than Nowe's.

Slowly, as if afraid he would disappear, she reached up with her arms and wrapped them around the man, closing her eyes and allowing the tiniest of smiles. His hand was running through her hair slowly, almost hesitantly, but it was fine. Even if he couldn't speak-

Suddenly his hand tensed and she looked up. He was glaring now. Not at her, mind you, but at something away from them, somewhere in the distance. She turned her head and felt herself tensing as she saw the dead rise back to their feet.

The man's hold on her strengthened, as if he was trying to shield her from what was sure to come. She wanted to whimper, but was afraid it would draw the dead to them. He ran his hand through her hair, trying to soothe her.

After a while, he moved her away and reached out, grabbing the sword he'd set aside earlier, lifting it in one hand with ease. She grabbed his hand, and shook her head when he looked her way. His face turned sad for a moment, before he gently ruffled her hair, and then he grabbed hold of the sword in both hands and his glare returned full force.

When the dead returned to their feet fully, their heads whipped up toward them both, and she choked when she saw those same red eyes again.

She wanted to run, but then the man rushed forward with a silent scream as the dead readied their weapons. But before she could shout at him to not go, he had already dissected five with a single swing of his blade. She could only stare as the man tore through the rising dead with speed that seemed almost unnatural, with strength that shouldn't humanly be possible.

But then Seere's words returned to her…

_"His rage could not be quenched until he had slain everyone in the Empire, and because he would never give in to pain or fatigue, he soon became known as a demon."_

One of the dead got a lucky shot in, slicing across his arm, but the man rounded on him and chopped the dead's head off. No matter the injuries he got, he just continued to fight, and she could only watch in amazement as the dead fell faster than they rose.

But then she heard the clang of armor from behind her and she froze. The man whipped around and instantly ran toward her. Before the dead behind her could get to her, his arm grabbed her around her waist and spun her around and up against his body as he blocked the dead and then killed them again. She could only shake in fright and cling to the man as he continued to kill everything around them.

However, she knew very well that if he even paused for a moment that they'd both die. So he fought like a demon, big deal. Right then, their survival depended on it.

At one point, she dared to look up at him and almost cried in fright. There was a grin on his face that could only be described as that of a demon, no human could create an expression like that, she knew. But some part of her mind calmed down the fear boiling in her, why, she didn't know, but it did.

When next she looked around, all of the dead were just that… dead. But the man did not let her go just yet, instead rubbing her back in soothing, circular motions.

She tried not to whimper, but she couldn't help it any longer. "…why is such carnage necessary…?" she questioned softly.

The man ceased the movement of his hand, before he sighed and wrapped his arms around her, as if trying to tell her something. But she couldn't understand what… if only he could speak. Then she felt his chin rest on top her head, his quiet breathing ruffling her hair just slightly. His free hand now rested on her head and the other, still holding the sword, held her close.

She sighed and remained there, listening to his steady but strong heartbeat, stronger than Nowe's… but Nowe was never in a pact with a dragon…

And slowly… somehow… she began to understand.

Maybe it was the proximity with the man that caused it, but she felt a small part of the demon inside of him begin to slip into her mind… and she didn't even attempt to stop it.

Nor when he stepped away finally and gave his sword-she now knew it was definitely his-to her.

"…" Looking up to him once more, she said: "I don't even know your name…"

The man looked at her sadly, before he crouched to the ground, gently pulling her down with him, and dipped his fingers in a pool of blood. Writing in the sand in the same runes she had been taught to read and write, he silently gave her his name.

"… 'Caim'…"

* * *

Verse 4

Angelina blinked dumbly, trying to understand what had just transpired. She had grabbed the sword, then she had suddenly… what _was_ that?

And then she realized she was looking up at the ceiling.

"…I fell off the mantle…?" she wondered, before sitting up and hissing at the pain at the back of her head. "Ow… how embarrassing…"

Pushing herself up, she dusted off, then looked down to the sword in her hand. 'At least I got the sword… kinda heavy though… explains the big nail, I guess…'

She made to head back upstairs… but stopped halfway to the stairs.

Had she imagined hearing the clinking of armor, or…?

One look outside through the window told her she hadn't. "Dammit… can't go up for Nowe and Manah…" Her fingers tightened around the blade in her hand, and her face twitched as the expression of apprehension struggled to change against her will.

Angelina slowly backed off as the soldiers outside talked quietly, and her eyes narrowed. Why were they so desperate to get her?

A slow smirk began to appear on her face, her eyes shining with a strange kind of excitement.

"You want me…? Come and get me…"

* * *

Verse 5

Nowe could tell something was wrong the moment he opened his eyes. It was the middle of the night, but he was able to see perfectly fine. Not to mention he could feel in the air that something was about to happen.

But he wasn't given much of a chance to think when there was the sound of wood shattering down below. He was up and dressed in a heartbeat, grabbing his sword as he hurried out the room.

When Nowe was out, he almost ran into Manah, who hadn't really bothered to dress like he had. She did carry her staff with her, and both nodded to each other once before they hurried downstairs.

Or made to, at least…

Nowe stopped Manah dead as screams began to resound from below. Both listened silently, trying to catch what was happening.

"Damn you, you little-ARRRGH!" a man's voice screamed, though it sounded gargled, with blood no doubt. Manah winced, and Nowe clenched his hand around his sword, wondering what was happening. And then…

"Get… out… of… our… house!"

At that shout, Nowe choked on air. "Angelina!"

* * *

Verse 6

The blade had tasted blood, and now it was almost as if it thrummed in response to the prospect of battle after so long. Or was that just her? She couldn't tell, and rightfully, she didn't even care. She would not allow that filth before her to take one step more into their house, would not let them reach Nowe or Manah!

Blood coated her arms and her face, a look on her face that was a combination of hatred and sheer amusement. The shirt and shorts she slept in were drenched red almost entirely, the blood warm against her skin, but she barely noticed.

Angelina brought up the sword, aiming it at the soldiers still standing. She said not a word even as they made to run at her. Instead, she rushed at them and swung a wide arc with the blade, creating a shock wave that sent them all stumbling backward and out of the house.

When she heard a noise behind her, she turned to face Nowe and Manah, as they stopped not that far behind her. Nowe stepped up behind her, watching the soldiers in a combination of surprise, horror and rage. "Angelina, what happened?" he asked.

She glared and pointed her sword at the now rising soldiers. "Ask them! They're the ones that came and attacked without a valid reason!"

Though Nowe was shocked that Angelina was holding Caim's sword, he decided to leave that for later, instead focusing on the soldiers that now began to rise back to their feet. "Manah, use whatever magic you can, alright?"

"Yes, I'll do my best," Manah said, gripping her staff tighter.

"Angelina, protect Manah, you hear?" Nowe knew it was useless to tell the girl to go back inside; there was no way she'd listen to him if he said that.

The small redhead nodded, though a hint of disappointment crossed over her eyes, but not much.

Nowe adjusted the grip on his sword once more, and the fight began.

* * *

Verse 7

They were winning! Angelina was amazed by Nowe's strength and Manah's spells. She had never seen the latter in battle before, and would have never expected her to have such a great variety of spells in her arsenal. But right then, it was their ace in the hole.

Whenever Nowe was cornered, Manah would unleash a spell that took care of the ones at his back, and when Manah was about to be struck down, Angelina jumped in and sliced through them. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder where all those soldiers were suddenly coming from. Was there no end to them?

A scream ripped itself from her throat when pain suddenly shot up her arm. Any other child her age would have dropped the sword they held to tend to the wound, but Angelina was not any other child. She whipped around with a snarl and sliced the soldier's chest open with one single stroke.

But the blood was flowing fast. She knew that she wouldn't last much longer like this.

And then she heard them; voices from the sky.

Nowe heard them too, Manah seemed to hear them faintly. The voices screamed, but there were so many, she couldn't understand what they were saying. Manah looked up and gasped, before she shot forward and grabbed Angelina's hand, dragging her away quickly as Nowe killed three more soldiers and then ran after them.

Many of the villagers had been awoken by the sound of battle, and some even ventured outside.

It was a mistake many would soon regret… it would have been better if they had not woken at all…

* * *

Verse 8

Nowe would never mistake those voices, ever; dragons. And a lot of them. He didn't know where _those_ suddenly came from, but their voices were clearly screaming about murder. Manah already understood what was happening, even if she failed to speak the language, and had begun to run with Angelina on one hand. The small girl was hurrying along without a word, trusting them to know what they were doing.

And then the first blasts of fire hit the village and the ground around them, forcing them to stop and change their direction. Angelina gasped in surprise, but that was it as they ran, clinging tightly to Caim's sword. She looked up and nearly choked.

Though she had never before seen them, she knew what they were well enough. Pitch black scales were slightly illuminated by the flames all around them, red eyes ablaze with nothing but bloodlust.

"Dragons…" she whispered softly.

Black dragons… like those of the Empire… easily manipulated, but still strong enough to wipe out an army of men. What could they do against such forces?

And Angelina felt guilt just then… for bringing such disaster upon the village she had grown to love…

* * *

Verse 9

When morning arrived the next day, there was little to nothing left. Only a few people had survived, themselves included. Angelina could only stare at the scene before her with a vacant expression, unable to display the horror coursing through her.

She was still soaked with blood, and the blood on the sword still dripped down onto the ground, forming a small pool of red, easily absorbed into the earth.

How many had she slain last night? She'd lost count.

Before, she could have forgiven herself for one man… now… she knew she was beyond forgiveness.

Nowe and Manah had gone to help the surviving villagers, leaving her on her own, unnoticed by everyone. Perhaps that was for the best… maybe.

Without meaning to, she had brought this disaster upon the village, even if no one would admit it.

She knew she could not stay.

With pain in her heart, she gazed upon the village once more, and then turned and ran. It would be a long time before Nowe or Manah would realize she had gone, and she could only hope they wouldn't attempt to follow her.

It would be so much better if she wasn't there to ruin their lives any further…


	10. Chapter 9: Demons

**Chapter 9: Demons**

Verse 1

As the sun peeked over the horizon, somewhere in the far north of the continent, a lone castle stood. It was definitely old, but at least it was stable. It had probably seen many battles throughout its existence, and no one was quite sure who actually owned it. It hadn't been inhabited for years, though.

However, barely six months ago, people definitely began to live within the castle walls.

* * *

Soldiers conversed with each other as she slowly made her way through the hallways. The soldiers made sure not to make unnecessary contact with her, and that was fine with her. She had a mission to do, so she couldn't afford to be delayed.

Finally, she made it to her destination, and opened the door quietly. As expected, her target was there, in full battle gear and sword strapped on a belt, secured around the back to allow easy movement. Standing over the map of the area, it was unclear if the person was male or female, as the armor gave nothing away.

"… you're not that good at stealth, Eris…" the woman sighed out, straightening up and turning around to face her.

Red hair the color of fire framed a face bearing a stone expression, and dark blue eyes gazed at her almost emotionlessly. There were emotions in there, but you had to look very carefully. In her hair were two long orange, almost yellow highlights, one on each side of her head.

The armor was basic, lightweight and offered plenty of mobility. It had been cleaned recently, Eris knew; it had been dyed red not two nights ago when she had returned from another battle to protect the seals. Now it smelled a little like that cheap soap used to remove the blood from armor, the same she had used on a few occasions herself.

"I'm sorry, I'll try better next time," Eris chuckled, but it didn't crack a smile on the stone face. She sighed. "Lina… why do you do this? You said you didn't want this yourself."

The woman once known as Angelina, now called only "Lina", barely moved. "…people change, Eris. Sometimes for worse…" she said simply, before she turned back to the map. Eris struggled not to sigh again and stepped up beside her.

"…How long has it been?" she asked finally.

"…six years…" Lina said solemnly.

"I see…" Eris looked down at the map as well.

Had it really been six years already? When the Grand Shrine had fallen, and she had been brought away by the army that now hid her away from the world, she would have never expected things to last for so long. Seere had escaped, she knew, but she wasn't too sure about everyone else.

And then there was Lina… again, something she had not seen coming.

When Eris had seen Lina when she had almost stormed into her room, she'd almost attacked her, but Lina had blocked with absolute ease. It hadn't been until then that Eris truly understood whom stood before her.

She had asked what Lina had been doing there, but she had only answered that there was no time.

Then they had fled the Grand Shrine, Lina nearly dragging Eris along. Lina had become strong in the short while Eris had not seen or heard of her, it was amazing.

Not only that, but she recognized the sword she carried with her; it was Caim's. She had probably taken it with her seven years ago, when she had fled from the village in which Nowe and Manah had raised her.

When Nowe and Manah had come to the Grand Shrine with the news, they'd all been as devastated as Manah, who had begun crying every time she recalled how Angelina had disappeared from their lives the day of the attack on their village. No one knew what became of her, and then suddenly, a year later, there she was, unharmed, and seemingly fine.

But that, Eris had learned, was an illusion. Lina was most definitely _not_ 'fine', despite what she claimed. She could tell Lina's soul was crying at the sheer number of people she slaughtered-there was no other word for it-almost every day. And all that to protect her, the Goddess.

But she had yet to see Lina shed even one tear. Many would say she probably shed them behind closed doors, but Eris knew better. She never showed remorse, never mourned the lives lost if they weren't her own men. And even when they were, the chance she'd actually show it was minimal.

During the year she had spent away from Manah and Nowe, she had changed so much, that Eris found herself wondering what horrors she had seen. And how she had been able to recruit so many men to build an army within a year. She had never fought a real battle before, and had little experience in actual combat, and yet all the people around her accepted her as a formidable leader. She was always addressed by the soldiers as "Lady Lina", as though she were truly of noble blood.

It was at times like this that Eris wondered just what had happened to Lina in a single year to make her this way.

"…lunch should be ready…" Eris sighed.

"Alright. You coming?"

"…"

"…I'll just go on ahead then…" She then began the journey to the mess hall.

Lina hardly ever talked anymore, and when she did, it was straight to the point.

Eris prayed that Lina would soon find someone whom she could trust with her life so that she wouldn't have to bottle everything up much longer.

* * *

Verse 2

As the day came to an end, Lina set the sword against the wall of her room and unclasped her armor. It had been a quiet day, with no attacks on their castle. The sun had been out, it had been a beautiful day and the perfect opportunity to actually _enjoy_ life.

But Lina stopped enjoying life years ago.

As she set the armor aside, and removed the gauntlets, she hissed when it slid past the scar on her arm. Running her fingers over it, she thought back to when she got that, to the day when she had buried her soul. She had protected Manah, like Nowe had asked, and they came up from the side and sliced her arm open. She barely survived, but she had made it, somehow.

She hated the soldiers that had come that day, and she wished she could hate the dragons for burning the village, but she couldn't bring herself to. Only black dragons would allow humans to manipulate them so easily. She couldn't pin it on their entire race just because of that.

With a heavy sigh, Lina dropped onto the bed, one arm slung over her eyes. She didn't bother getting into her bedclothes; she wanted to get some decent sleep in this time. She hadn't slept at _all_ last night. Something had kept her awake, but she didn't know what.

She was asleep before she was rightfully aware of it, and her dreams were filled with blood.

* * *

Verse 3

Foolish creatures, that was all they were. How had humans ever made it so far in this world's history anyway? Who knows? Maybe that was just because of that urge to survive. Their race had survived for much longer than they rightfully should have, and yet nothing seemed to stop them. They were like cockroaches; squish one and a hundred more pop out from their nests.

Had that been all, they probably would have been forgiven easily. But no; their race was the only one on this planet that slaughtered its own kind not for food, but mere pleasure to sate their bloodthirsty natures. Many would claim this to be a lie, but the proof was definitely in the putting.

Countless wars had wracked the lands, all caused by human hands, and how many times now had the Goddess Seal been destroyed and the Seeds of Destruction released?

But of course, the humans knew no "Seeds of Destruction". They knew only the "Seeds of Resurrection". Humans twisted everything for their own selfish desires, and truthfully, it made him sick.

Even now, as he watched the castle far beneath, he knew just what kind of humans lived there.

One in particular. That one had been the most bloodthirsty, slaughtering almost 5 times as many of their own than any of the others in the castle whenever an attack came. He supposed one could argue it was to protect the castle and whatever treasures it held, but he doubted it.

That one had almost seemed incapable of feeling anything, and not just emotionally either.

He'd watched, just for fun, and saw how they had been struck down often enough, but they never went down from pain. They mostly just cried out in the pain, but then came the retaliation that was sure to kill the perpetrator.

That one was often amusing to watch, but that was all.

Snorting once, he finally prepared to leave, until he saw the army approaching the castle.

He gave it one glance then allowed a small chuckle.

* * *

Verse 4

The shouts came before the pounding, and Lina was instantly wide-awake before she was rightfully aware of it. Then she pulled on her armor in record time, even when one soldier cried through the door: "Lady Lina! The Nation's soldiers have surrounded the castle!"

Lina growled. 'I should've seen this coming, dammit!' she thought as she secured her gauntlet and then strapped on her sword. Still, her body had begun to shudder in excitement at the prospect of battle and the damage she could do.

She yanked open the door and said to the soldier: "Get everyone in defense positions! How many are there!"

"Four hundred. Maybe more."

"Damn! Send squad 9 and 12 out to the front, 4 and 10 to the back, 3 to the western side and 7 to the eastern side! We cannot allow them to reach the Goddess! Move it!"

"Yes Milady!" With that, the soldier hurried off to relay the orders to the others.

Lina watched him go, then hurried off to meet the squads 9 and 12. She'd be damned if she wasn't there on the battlefield by the time things got started. She could almost swear she felt her heart beating in her throat, but she ignored it and rushed out to the courtyard.

The squads had just finished gathering, and turned to face the redhead. However, Lina cut their greeting off with a curt: "Cut the formalities! There's no time! Don't let the Nation into the castle!"

The soldiers nodded as the gate was opened and Lina stormed out, before they rushed after her. they were seriously outnumbered, that was true, but that didn't mean they were going to give up just like that!

And inside of Lina's body, the demon stirred, then woke and a malicious grin spread over her face. "Ready or not…" she growled softly, reaching back and grabbing the hilt of her sword. "Here. I. COME!"

* * *

Verse 5

Eris could only watch the battle happen from her window, her spear kept by her side at all times. Goddess or not, she still knew perfectly well how to protect herself, for a while, at least. With the huge numbers they were up against, even she would have troubles.

Not Lina, though…

She'd seen the girl in action not long after they had escaped the Grand Shrine and had to admit, she was impressed. She had taken on 20 soldiers, each minimally twice her age, and almost twice her size, and she had killed them all in less than two minutes.

Eris trusted Lina with her life, believing in the much younger girl when she had claimed she would protect her at any cost. Even if Lina didn't show it, she damn well cared, it was just that it was barely ever visible. It was all in the little gestures that, to others, would mean nothing. Even so, all Eris could do now was pray that the soldiers of the Nation would not make it past the demon that Lina had become.

* * *

Verse 6

Lina jumped aside from a hit that would have sliced her in half, then swung her blade and tore through the soldier's armor, blood flying out of the wound and all over her, yet she couldn't care, turning on the next soldier and chopping off an arm and the bottom section of his leg in the same instant. The demon now had complete control over her and enjoyed itself immensely as it tore through more and more soldiers as they came.

But Lina still wondered where all those soldiers kept coming from. There were supposed to be four-hundred-something Nation soldiers, but it was almost as if there were over a thousand at that point.

She spun away from a would-be deadly blow and shoved her sword through the soldier's gut. She then twisted the sword around, making the soldier scream in agony before she kicked him off - and then _she_ screamed at a sudden pain in her side. Any soldier would have dropped in pain, but Lina whipped around with a roar and lobbed the soldier's head off, delighting in the horrified look in those red eyes.

The girl stumbled for a moment, then righted and threw herself right back into the fray. Lina wasn't about to die out there!

Blood continued to flow on from her wounds, though it wasn't just her blood that stained the earth and dyed it red. The Nation soldiers were falling like flies, but it barely seemed to do them any good. More and more Nation soldiers continued to plague them, never seeming to tire while her own 'army' was standing on its last leg.

Growing desperate, Lina focused her energy and then launched five orbs of fire, tearing through the soldiers, burning all that touched them to a crisp. She HATED having to rely on magic, but in this case, it was the only thing that actually seemed to help.

But perhaps even that wouldn't be enough.

She choked in pain when an arrow was suddenly lodged into her arm. A furious glare on her face, she turned to the culprit, who was loading another arrow on his crossbow. But he wouldn't get the chance to fire it as Lina shot at him and got behind him in an instant, slicing open his back with one solid arc.

Panting, Lina ripped the arrow out again, somehow managing to stay upright despite the pain. She'd be able to last for a while, but she wasn't sure for how much longer.

And then she heard it; a scream.

Well… more of a roar. A frown marred her face, before turning to the mountains not that far from the castle. That was where the roar had come from. She didn't trust this, because she recognized that roar…

With rage burning in her heart, she ran toward the source of the roar.

* * *

Verse 7

He roared in rage as those humans dared to even attempt to catch him. Though he managed to crush most of the grounded forces, those blasted airships were making his life a living hell. He roared and cursed at everything and nothing as he tried to dive aside, only to roar as a multitude of arrows pierced through his skin and drove into his back.

"Damn it all!" he roared as he fell to the ground, barely able to get up from the pain. "Dammit!"

But he wasn't defeated just yet!

With his last ounce of strength, he lifted his head and belched out a breath of fire that incinerated all of those humans in an instant. Then, his head fell to the ground and he growled at the pain. 'Blast it all…'

* * *

Verse 8

Lina rushed through the now empty passage within the mountains, sword held at the ready in case there were any soldiers there to test her blade. However, as soon as she exited the passage, she stopped dead and could only stare.

Barely 5 feet away from her, lay a creature almost 10 times her size, scales the color of the purest silver she had ever seen, despite the fact that they were marred with thick streams of blood coming from the wounds of the countless arrows and pikes protruding from its body. Two pale golden horns coming from its temples arched backward, then slightly up.

"A dragon…" she mouthed, approaching the wounded creature carefully. She knew that even a wounded dragon could easily snap her head off if it wished to.

However, this one's eyes were shut lightly, but she could hear its heavy breathing despite giving off the image that it was dead. It didn't move an inch even as she stumbled over, blood trailing after her as she went. Lina knew it had probably smelt the blood already, so it couldn't be unaware of her. And yet it didn't even look up.

Looking over its injuries, she realized there was one thing they had in common; if they did not get some help soon, they would both perish.

Staring at the dragon for a while longer, she then brought up a foot and prodded him to his snout. "Wake up!" she growled out harshly.

The dragon snarled and opened its piercing yellow eyes. "Wretched human… you better have a damn good reason…" it snarled out in that raspy voice only she could understand.

"Touchy…" she snarled right back, startling the dragon slightly. "Answer me this dragon; do you still wish to live?"

The dragon's eyes seemed to narrow, staring her down in suspicion. "…what?"

"A pact!" she said harshly. "Unless you want to die, that's the only choice you have!"

At that, the dragon snorted on a bout of laughter. "Haha… and what makes you think _you're_ worthy of a pact with me?"

Lina snarled in rage. "To hell with that! I don't _care_ if you think I'm worthy or not; but **I** wish to live! I don't care if you hate me for it, but I will NOT die! You hear me?" With that, she grabbed her sword in both hands, raising it high above her head as if to slam it right between the dragon's eyes. "Now answer me! A pact or death!"

* * *

Verse 9

The dragon did his best to stop laughing. What made this human think he would agree to a pact with a human? Were they really _that_ stupid?

But the words still struck a chord;

"**I** wish to live!"

He had no desire to die, either, but he sure as hell wasn't THAT desperate to live! Goes to show just how some of those humans could get…

Suddenly the human screamed in pain and almost fell forward, but managed to slam their sword into the ground to catch their fall. The dragon could only stare at the arrows that now stuck from the human's back.

"Why you…!" the human snarled, turning on the archers whom had launched the arrows. "Damn you blasted hyenas!" they suddenly screamed, and before he could blink they had rushed straight toward them. "Go back to hell where you belong!"

He could do nothing but stare as they tore them all apart, blood spurting all over them and drenching them almost completely, and yet they didn't even seem to _care_.

It wasn't long before the human killed each of the archers, as well as the soldiers that had come to their aid. They panted harshly, but then turned around, stumbling their way back toward him. He could see the pain in their eyes, but still they continued toward him as if driven by some invisible force.

Then they almost fell flat on the ground, but again, they used their sword to stop the fall short, a mere foot away from his head. They panted for breath, struggling for each intake, before forcing themselves as upright as possible, glaring him down.

"Do you… have an answer?" they hissed out.

He took a moment to study the human, as if debating, before he finally said: "A pact… or death…" He chuckled. "I suppose that is what unites us both; our need to live…"

They still glared, but a tiny smirk played on their lips. "Well?"

Finally, he just resigned to his fate. "Very well… a pact it is…"

* * *

Lina tried not to look like she was hurting, but it was getting harder by the minute. She couldn't keep this up, so she had to hurry.

Reaching up with a shaking hand, she placed it upon her chest, then choked when the armor began to shine and ripple under her touch, almost sucking her hand in. The pain was simply too much and she screamed, her hand searching inside her own chest for the item she would need to seal the pact.

The dragon was writhing and growling in agony even as she continued, before she finally found it and carefully wrapped her fingers around it, pulling it out of its confinement. The orb of light in her palm and the red object within almost seemed to mock her, but she ignored it when the dragon opened its massive maw and revealed a similar orb of light between its teeth.

Knowing that this was the point of no return, both brought forth their orbs, giving each other their hearts and sealing their pact.

* * *

Verse 10

It was like everything suddenly went away… the pain in her back disappeared, the blood that had coated her armor, skin and hair evaporated and all her wounds began to heal. Inside her chest, she felt a steady thrumming far more powerful than her own heart should have been.

She looked at the dragon and saw his blood disappear and with a roar of fury, all the arrows were dislodged from his back. As he pushed himself up to his talons, she hurried toward him and jumped onto his back, seating herself just behind his neck as he finally stood and roared toward the skies, spreading his wings wide.

He looked at her briefly, and she nodded once, before he clapped his wings and sent them airborne with one mighty stroke.


	11. Chapter 10: Silent Half

With zeppelins, I mean those round little ships, and with battleships I mean those giant ships.

The title refers to Angelina's pact price.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 10: Silent Half**

Verse 1

Lina held on to the dragon's neck with both hands, her sword resting in its sheath once again. It would probably take some time before she could get used to the constant movement of the dragon's wings to her side. One thing was sure about it all, though; they were not the only ones in the air.

When she saw the airships of the Nation, she growled, and felt more than heard the dragon do the same. "Better hold on tight," he said. "We'll burn them to ash, right now!"

Before she could ask, the dragon launched a single well-aimed burst of fire at a nearby zeppelin. At the sight of that destruction, Lina once more felt the demon inside of her wake up, even as the dragon rounded on the next zeppelin that arrived at the scene.

And then he suddenly swerved to the side. She was about to shout at him, but shut up when a cannonball whizzed past them. "Keep your eyes open! This isn't a game!" the dragon lectured. Lina rolled her eyes but nodded once, even as the dragon veered off to the right.

There were even more zeppelins to their right, and the dragon wasn't about to let them go just like that. However, instead of letting loose one burst at a time, he launched several smaller blasts. But before she could ask, she saw how the blasts curved to follow the zeppelins and took them down with a single shot.

Lina grinned, before she heard something from behind that made her look up. Growling, she tapped the dragon on his neck. Instantly, he spun around in mid-air, making her choke as the air was abruptly forced out of her lungs. Once she could breathe, she saw that the dragon had burned the zeppelins behind them in the time it took her to catch her breath.

"Where do they keep coming from!" the dragon roared furiously. Lina snarled, then blinked and squinted to the horizon. The dragon, sensing where her gaze was, turned to look as well. "Hmph! Persistent insects…" he growled, before he clapped his wings and sent them straight toward the battleships.

Lina almost yelped at the speed, having managed to grab hold of the dragon's neck before she could be thrown off. "I told you to hang tight!" the dragon snarled softly under his breath, before he fired at the battleship.

The hit, however, did limited damage. "Argh! DAMMIT!" the dragon roared, until there was a tap on his neck. Blinking as he felt a touch at his mind, almost like a voice, he listened, before a grin spread. "Aha! So _that's_ how they do that!"

Instantly, he swerved around the battleship and fried its propellers. Which, coincidentally, were attached to the motor. That explosion took off a good chunk of the battleship, but didn't completely destroy it. "Grr! Enough!" he snarled and gathered all the energy he had, before unleashing the magic outward.

A ring of twenty or so orbs, if not more, formed around him, spiraling once, before shooting off and smashing into and then _through_ the battleship. It instantly destroyed the ship.

Feeling his partner's awe at the spectacle, he said: "Before you start, I can't use that ALL the time! If I use too much we'd crash."

He felt her understanding, before he glanced down. "Hmm… seems that army of yours is having trouble." Spinning on a dime, the dragon then shot straight toward the castle. This time, though, Lina had been prepared for it and held on to his neck tightly. "Right, let's wipe out these insects, shall we?"

He easily felt Lina's grin against his neck.

* * *

Verse 2

The battle had almost turned into a massacre. The Nation outnumbered the Union by huge numbers that shouldn't even be possible. Not only that, but the Union had lost sight of their leader, and though they could last for a while on their own, they couldn't do this without her.

"Damn them!" one of the soldiers cursed under his breath. "We cut them down and cut them down yet still they come!"

"Where is Lady Lina?" one almost whined as he killed another Nation soldier.

But before anyone could answer, there was a roar from above them that made everyone look up. Sheer horror was etched on their faces when they saw a silver dragon closing in on them, and they all cried out in fright as they scattered.

That is, until the dragon belched out a burst of flame that incinerated over a dozen Nation soldiers. With a roar, it lunged itself right toward the Nation soldiers that were now running away like a bunch of chickens without their heads.

Then it suddenly spoke: "I'll handle these pests! I hope you can handle securing the castle!"

And just before it chased after the Nation soldiers, blowing flames at them at any given opportunity, a single figure leapt from the dragon to land in a crouch amidst the remaining soldiers. And as soon as she stood, she was tearing through the Nation's soldiers as if nothing had happened.

But there was one difference; she was stronger now, by far. Before, the Nation might have stood a chance against her, but they lost that as soon as she made the pact. She could hear the dragon roar as he tore his way through the huge amount of soldiers in record time. The Union soldiers had finally snapped out of their surprise, and all of them jumped back into the fray.

As such, it barely took them long to get rid of the last Nation soldiers. Victory was theirs… but for how long?

* * *

Verse 3

With a sharp yank, Lina removed the sword from the dead Nation soldier, turning to the others as they shouted in victory. She knew they'd been lucky this time. They would NOT be so lucky next time, she knew. The Nation would not wait until they were ready to attack next time. They had to move out, immediately.

As the dragon landed a little behind her, she turned her head his way briefly. He gave her one look before she turned to the soldier that had run over to her. "Lady Lina, we've obtained minimum casualties. We'll take the wounded back inside so the medics can heal their injuries."

Lina frowned and shook her head, then opened her mouth to speak - and slapped a hand over her mouth when a growl was all that came out. "…!"

The soldier blinked. "Lady Lina?"

Lina lowered her hand to her throat and spoke again. Or she tried. Her voice remained raspy and sounded more like snarling noises like that of a dragon.

The dragon frowned. **I see… so your price was the ability to speak the language of your brethren…**

_Which is the LAST thing I need right now!_ Lina snarled. _Dammit!_

**Oh stop that. I'll just have to speak for the both of us.**

Conceding the point, she relayed her message to the dragon to tell. "Tell everyone to grab whatever items they need. We're leaving before the sun goes down. And bring the Goddess out, too."

Though the soldier seemed hesitant about taking orders from a dragon, Lina nodded simply to him. Immediately the soldier saluted them both and ran off to inform the others. She watched them converse before they all rushed for the castle. Already, the stench of death was everywhere, and yet she did not care.

"I must say…" the dragon said suddenly. "I have never come across a human with such hatred in their soul before."

"Shut up." That was the last thing she needed; a dragon intent on lecturing her on everything she did. "I'm not in the mood for preaching…" The dragon didn't respond, but she could almost swear he was smirking.

After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Where will you go?"

"…I don't know yet. I'll figure something out."

She could tell he wanted to comment, but she glared at him to dare say a word. He wisely kept quiet.

Silently, she shoved her sword back into its scabbard, watching as everyone scurried about.

There was little for her in the castle, though she still had some things she needed to take with her at least. Without a word, she headed for the castle. Before she could leave immediately, though, the dragon said: "Into the castle on your own? Fine. I'll await you here."

Lina paused in her stride, before she snorted and went inside.

She might as well learn to get used to him, outside of battle, too. After all, with the pact in effect, they were stuck with each other forever, whether they liked it or not.

* * *

Verse 4

When Eris heard the news that they were leaving, she had already been packed and ready. She'd sort of expected it after that last battle. There was no way Lina would allow them to stay now. The Nation would not fail again now that they had gotten so close. Finding that dragon had been a lucky break; one they wouldn't have next time.

Taking her spear, Eris looked it over for a moment, before she sighed. So much had happened over the past few years; and she hadn't heard a thing from Nowe, yet. Not that she had expected it. He had left to find Lina, on his own, leaving Manah in the hands of her brother.

She could only pray that both were safe.

When there was a knock on the door, she looked up in surprise. "Lina…" she said with a smile. "I won't ask where you got that dragon from, but thanks. We managed to win because of you."

"…" Lina said nothing, before she cocked her head as if to say "Let's go."

"Lina…" The redhead stopped. "Where will we go? There's no safe haven for us anywhere, you know that."

Again, the redhead said nothing, before she shrugged once.

Eris growled and hurried after her, before grabbing her arm. "Will you at least _say_ something!" she demanded.

Lina looked at her for a moment, before she shook her head, and stuck out her tongue. Eris gasped when she saw the black mark drawn upon it. "…oh my… You… you made a pact… with the dragon?"

"…" A nod was the only response.

Eris looked at Lina for a long while, but then Lina grabbed her hand and pulled her along. She didn't object and just followed.

She just felt so hopeless at that point…


	12. Chapter 11: Trust

Not much action in here… Actually, none at all. Few spoilers in verse 2, but otherwise, it's clear.

Removed this one and edited a few things... Not much, so there's no real reason to review again.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11: Trust**

Verse 1

The further north you came, the colder it would eventually become. That was why the regions in the north held little to no villages; it was nigh impossible to grow just about anything, even though the soil was fertile and there was enough water. It was simply too cold.

And yet, these barren wastelands were exactly where the Union was heading. The silver dragon flew high above the soldiers below, carrying Lina on his back. Many would say it was stupid to go this far north, but it was the only choice they had left. To the south was the Nation, which was definitely out of the question. The sea lay to their west, and the mountains to their east.

Unable to travel by sea, they would be most expected to travel by the mountains before heading north. And so, they prayed the Nation would go to the mountains to search for them first.

* * *

Lina watched the soldiers walk from above, adjusting her cloak a little to prevent the cold from seeping into her bones. If they thought it was cold on ground level, they had never been up in the air in this weather.

**Cold?**

_No, I'm not. Now leave me alone._

The dragon chuckled softly. **I've said it before; you're foolish in thinking you can escape them through here.**

_It's better than staying put._ With that, the conversation was over and she blocked off her mind from the dragon's probing.

How she was able to do that was beyond her. As far as she could remember, she had never had to shut off her mind from anyone before. She'd never faced off with someone who could read her every thought before, so it made her wonder. Then again, there were a lot of things she wondered about these days.

She hadn't seen _him_ either for a long time…

Caim…

There was something about him that made her feel secure, but she couldn't explain why. She had heard the stories of the "One-eyed Man" and how ruthless he was, but she figured it was because of his pact with the red dragon, the one whom had become the seal.

There was another thing; the red dragon… just who was she? And _why_ was she so angry that she would go on a rampage when the district keys were broken? What could possibly anger a dragon so?

_…oy. Dragon._

**Talking again are we?**

_Put a sock in it… Anyway, what would anger a dragon enough for it to go on a rampage?_

She could feel the surprise coming off him. **Hmm… A lot of things could do that. Most and foremost would be betrayal, I suppose.**

_I see._

**That's it? Not even a little 'thank you'?**

He was teasing, she could tell. _Why should I?_

**I'll drop you.**

_If I die, so will you._

**That doesn't mean I can't scare you…**

_Alright, alright, thank you. Happy now?_

**Hmm… yes.**

_I hate you…_

* * *

Verse 2

A steady pulsing through her body woke her, but she couldn't see even when she opened her eyes. Then the pulsing began to focus and she struggled to contain her cries. It hurt, she couldn't move and she couldn't even scream.

Oh god it hurt…

She tried to work her mouth, but nothing. It moved only slightly, but no sound came out safe for a small, weak growl. The pain intensified and she wanted to cry. She knew who was responsible, hell, only one man could be and she screamed inside her mind. It was all she could do now.

**VERDELET! YOU LYING SCUMBAG! I DIDN'T-DIDN'T DO IT FOR YOU!**

She wanted to roar out when the pain increased all the more, but she couldn't; her voice was clogged and now, nothing of her would move.

**NO! Stop it! It hurts! Not for you! Never for you! I-I-I did it for _him_! What have you done with him! CAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIM!**

* * *

**WAKE UP!**

Lina snapped awake, sitting upright in an instant, panting for breath. "Whuh who huh?"

**Ah, good.** She looked up and saw the silver dragon peeking in through the flaps of her tent. **Was almost afraid I'd have to burn this down to get to you. Get out here.**

Normally, she would've told him off, but she realized he was not joking about burning down the tent to get to her. Pulling on her armor as quickly as she could and grabbing her sword, just to be safe, she ventured out of the tent. Next thing she knew she was snatched up by the back of her cloak. "Agh! Dammit! Put me down!" she snarled, keeping her "voice" down to avoid waking the others.

**Stop struggling and we'll get there sooner.** He never stopped walking through the camp as quietly as he could. Which was actually rather quiet.

_Get WHERE sooner? Dammit, you're not making any sense!_

**Oh shut up. We're here.** And with that, he dropped her on her bum, making her yowl, before she growled and rubbed her sore rear. Now that her eyes were used to the dark, she recognized where they were; the hill where the silver dragon had descended upon to let her off when the sun had begun to set.

She remained sitting stubbornly, facing away from the dragon as he settled behind her.

**Now, care to explain what _that_ was about?**

Lina glared at him. _What are you talking about!_

**Come off it. You know very well what I'm talking about.**

She turned away, crossing her arms over her chest, completely ignoring him. She was NOT about to confide in him. Who did he think she was?

Then he suddenly prodded her to her back. _Leave me alone._ Then she yowled as she was yanked back by her cloak. "Hey!" She glared up at him in anger. What did it take to get the point across that she didn't want to talk!

**Bottle everything up and you'll become a liability. So talk.** He stared her down almost angrily.

She glared right back, before she growled and dropped back against his neck. _I had a bad dream, alright?_

**About…?**

_…I don't know._ She ignored his probing gaze, before she sighed. _I couldn't see a damn thing… I 'woke up' because I was hurting. I wanted to scream but I couldn't find my voice… I couldn't even move._ He didn't move as she spoke, even as she wrapped her cloak tighter around her. _Then I started… I dunno, yelling with my mind. As if expecting whoever was hurting me to understand… then I called out for… for…_

Oh she was most definitely not saying _that_. She wasn't even sure why she had shouted for _him_ of all people!

**For Caim…**

"…!" Turning on the dragon in surprise, she was about to ask, but…

**I managed to pick up that from those frenzied screams of yours. I couldn't make out the rest.** She glared at him and he snorted. "Cut that out. Being pact partners means you have to be able to trust each other. I can't trust you if you keep hiding things from me."

"…" Lina turned away, then rolled over. "Some things are personal…" she grumbled. "Good _night_." She was tired, and she was NOT going to walk all the way back to her tent.

He watched her until her breathing evened out, before he chuckled. 'Fiery, like a little hatchling…' Shaking his head, he curled around her, shielding her with his wings from the cold. Tucking his head in under it as well, he gave her one last look, before he shut his eyes to return to sleep as well.

'Just like a hatchling…' He chuckled when she curled up protectively against his belly.

* * *

Verse 3

When dawn came, the cold was still as penetrating as ever. The camp slowly began to bustle with activity as soldiers began to awaken, some with chattering teeth while others attempted to start a fire.

Eris woke to the cold as well, but merely tugged her heavy cloak around her tighter. As much as she hated it there, she had to admit that even she knew it was the only way they could go at that point. So there was no use arguing about it.

Getting out of her sleeping bag took more effort than she thought; numerous times she already found herself huddling back in the bag. Finally, she managed to stay out and donned her cloak quickly before venturing outside. She watched the soldiers for a moment as they conversed, before heading to Lina's tent. Luckily, it wasn't that far away from her own, so it didn't take long at all.

"Lina? Are you awake?" she called out, moving the flap aside. When she saw no one inside, she blinked in slight surprise, before she shrugged. 'Guess she went out already…'

Moving back, Eris made to walk away, and yelped when she came face-to-face with the woman she'd been looking for. "Ah! Lina! Don't scare me like that!"

The redhead merely stared at Eris, before she disappeared into her tent. Peeking inside, Eris asked as Lina packed her gear: "I take it we leave as soon as we're ready?" Lina merely nodded. "Say… Lina? I was wondering… Maybe it would be better if I traveled with you, on the dragon." At that, Lina looked up in surprise. "If the Nation were to attack now, they'd expect me on land. Not in the sky atop a dragon."

The woman seemed to consider it, before turning back to her packing. Eris waited for a moment, before moving away. She still had to have breakfast, and it probably tasted better if it was warmed a little. She'd hear what Lina had to say about it later.

* * *

Verse 4

Double-checking her things, Lina tried not to think of the dream she had had that night. No luck. It just didn't make any sense; why did she shout out to Caim like that? And who the hell was "Verdelet"? She'd heard that name before, and she felt a strange sense of hatred toward it, but she couldn't place why.

Suddenly, something akin to a ripple washed over her and she tensed. 'The hell!'

**There is another one with a pact near here… In need of help, I believe.**

Lina sighed. _We don't have time to waste on that! We have to keep moving!_

**To where? Who knows… this person might know the area a little better. At the very least they could give us some pointers on what areas to avoid.**

_…god, I hate it when you're right…_

Finally resigning herself to the fact, she said: _Fine. But you'll be carrying me and the Goddess, you hear?_

**What? Grrr… No way! I wouldn't be caught dead with her on me!**

_Really?_

**Huh? What are you getting at!**

_I could just slit my own throat right now, you know._

**You wouldn't…**

_You wanna try me?  
_

**Ugh! Fine, whatever! Just hurry and make sure she's dressed for it! I'm not going to waste time picking anyone up if they fall!**

_Thank you, you're a dear,_ she teased, and she could hear him roar outside, making her chuckle.

'Two can play _that_ game, "partner".'

* * *

Verse 5

Breakfast was quick and not really that satisfying, but it would have to do until they could manage to hunt anything in this cold. The chances they'd find something were relatively small, though. Still, most of it was spent conversing, making time seem to go faster than it should, before Lina stood and dropped a bundle of clothes on Eris.

"Huh! What's this for?" she asked, looking the clothes over.

The dragon snorted. "If you want a ride, you'd better dress for it, and I suggest you move."

Though a bit surprised, Eris finally nodded and hurried into her tent to change into the clothes provided. As she did, Lina walked over and climbed onto his back, leaning forward onto his neck to wait.

**I hate you, you know that?**

_Feeling's mutual…_

Not much longer after that, Eris walked out in some of Lina's old clothes. They were a little loose, but they were warm, and they'd protect Eris from the cold, at least.

Leaning back as Eris approached, Lina helped her up on the dragon's back, seating the Goddess behind her and made sure that she held on tight so that she wouldn't fall. Once they were both ready, the soldiers finally finished packing everything, and they took to the skies.


	13. Chapter 12: Naughty

Been planning to get to this for a while now… finally managed to find a place where it would fit.

Oh, some of you may have wondered about the silver dragon's behavior… well, it's like he said; pact partners are supposed to trust each other implicitly. He can't trust Lina if she doesn't tell him what's on her mind.

And about Wave Swords… anyone played Soul Calibur 3? Wave Swords are the weapons the Assassin class (such as Revenant) uses. For those who haven't, you hold them by the handle and the blades curve around the underside of your arms in a wide arc.

**

* * *

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**Chapter 12: Naughty**

Verse 1

While Lina and her Union soldiers were suffering from the cold up north, the people in the Village of Stone were suffering from the heat of summer. It had barely rained all week and it clearly showed. The trees were withering and the crops were all but dehydrated. The only thing that could save them was a sudden rainfall.

But as that seemed impossible at that point, many people took the trip to the lake to get water for their crops. It was, at the moment, the only way to keep them alive. Until the rain fell, this was all that could be done.

Amongst the women returning from the lake, was a woman barely over twenty with short, reddish-brown hair and a set of astonishing bluish-green eyes. But her eyes seemed to miss a spark of joy, something most others had despite the dire situations. Even as she poured water over the crops, making sure to give all an equal share, her eyes showed very little.

She was dressed in loose pants and a shirt that seemed a few sizes too big, but she was fine with it. It allowed the wind to cool her skin a little more easily.

"Miss Lynn! Miss Lynn!" a voice suddenly called out, making the woman look up curiously.

"Danny…" she said as the boy stopped in front of her, before she crouched down to his level. "What's the matter?"

Pointing, the boy chirped: "That man's back again! He says he's got a job!"

At that, a slight spark seemed to light up in her eyes and she struggled to stop a smirk. "Really? Thanks for telling me, kid." Ruffling the boy's hair, she stood and walked casually homeward. She knew who the boy meant; he always told her when someone came to her house, after all.

She had the villagers' respect, mainly because of the on and off jobs she did to help them earn some money. No one knew just what her jobs entailed, and she liked it that way.

* * *

Waiting for her outside her house was a man anyone would call average. He had dark black hair, though it was slicked back a little to make a few locks of hair spike back. He was dressed much like everyone else, and the only differences between him and the villagers were the cloak and the sword he carried on his back, which was 3/4 his length.

When he looked up, he smiled at her. "Lynn, how have you been?"

"Save the chitchat…" she growled, pushing past him into the house. "Hurry up and get in."

He chuckled and followed Lynn inside, shutting the door and locking it. "Always eager to get to business, aren't you?"

"Shut up, Alex…" Lynn dropped back in a chair and propped up her feet on the table, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not in the mood… Now what do you want?"

Alexander, or Alex, as he was informally called, merely shook his head. "Fine, fine. Have it your way." Sitting down at the table, setting his sword down against it, he finally spoke. "I assume you've heard about this so called… 'Nation'." There was no answer, but he knew she had. "Well, they're attempting to do the same as the Empire did, years ago; break the seals that protect this world."

Lynn said nothing, nor did she react. He hadn't expected her to.

"I can hazard a guess why, but I want to make sure. One of Nation's top dogs will be in a nearby village for a week, 3 days from now. I want you to figure out all you can on what they want. And of course, get rid of the source afterward. Can you do that?"

Silence befell the room. Then, Lynn asked the questions she always asked in such situations. "What village, what time, and how do I recognize him?"

Alexander smiled.

* * *

Verse 2

As night fell that day, the villagers all retreated to their homes and went to sleep. But there was one woman who did not.

Lynn watched the village through her window, before she drew the blinds before them.

'Time to go…' she thought to herself, moving to her closet and opening the doors. Crouching down, she removed the bottom, revealing a hidden compartment, which held a single bunch of clothes and a securely wrapped package.

Taking the clothes first, she changed into them. The leather hose fit snuggly, allowing easy mobility, and the tunic was of the same material. Her boots almost came to her knees, but were snug, all the same. Tying her belt around her waist, sheaths included, she stood as she then pulled on her fingerless gloves and secured a headband around her forehead. Grabbing the package and her muffler from the compartment, she walked over to the table and set it down.

With a small sigh, she pulled at the string and allowed the wrapping to fall away. She'd opened and wrapped them back up many times before, and yet she never managed to wrap it up as well as her father had.

Sighing, she grabbed the handles and tucked the two blades into their sheaths, before wrapping up the cloth and placing it back in its compartment. Once shut, she closed the closet, grabbed her muffler and headed out. Walking to the stable just outside her house, she stood in front of a midnight black steed. Alexander's.

She couldn't be bothered keeping a horse, so Alexander raised this one for her. The horse knew her well enough, and it suited her just fine. Mounting the horse, she silently spurred the creature on. It was a long journey to the village Alexander had pointed out, so she had best make haste.

* * *

Verse 3

The village was literally infested with Nation soldiers. To any other, it would seem like an impossible task to get the information. But those who say something is impossible should not interrupt the one doing it.

The lack of lighting during the night made it easy to pass by undetected, mostly. There were many close chances when Lynn nearly found herself discovered, but she pulled through. With practiced ease, she climbed the sides of two buildings and stepped onto the roof, carefully scanning over them before beginning to make her way to her goal.

It became only slightly easier to avoid the soldiers, as she now had to be careful that she was not seen from the ground. As far as she could tell, there were no guards stationed on the roofs. And hopefully, it would stay that way.

With a single leap, Lynn landed soundlessly on top of the building where she had to be. Looking around once more, she scurried for the edge and peeked over. Once she deemed it clear, she climbed down to the window below her current position.

It slid open easily, allowing her to enter without a sound. Crouching on the ground, she reached for her sides and pulled out the two wave swords she carried, bringing them up in front of her out of habit.

Only silence greeted her. Glancing around, she took in everything quickly, before she stealthily moved toward the nearby desk. The room was empty… and that was fine. Using one of her wave swords she opened one of the drawers, before searching inside for anything.

She was soon rewarded with multiple reports on missions, both those that had been accomplished and those that had failed. Taking them and closing the drawer, she rummaged through the remaining drawers, finding little of actual importance.

And then she halted. Had it been her imagination or…?

Whipping around, blades at the ready, she scanned the room, trying to spot what she had heard.

"Aren't you a naughty girl…?"

Lynn almost jumped out of her skin and leapt halfway across the room when that voice had whispered into her ear. But when she turned, there was no one there. Her eyes flashed all around her.

The room was as empty as when she entered, yet she could feel someone else's presence.

"Didn't your parents teach you…" that same voice chided - did the shadows there just move? - and she turned to the voice quickly. "…it's not nice… to nosy around in someone else's business…?"

Lynn clenched her hands tightly. She was growing paranoid in this place. She had to get out… now!

But before she could even move, she found herself slammed against the wall with bruising force, though she managed to hold onto her swords, somehow. Her hands were above her head, and she was half standing, half hanging from a tight grip on both her wrists.

"Naughty… naughty children… _must_ be punished…"

Lynn glared furiously at the figure, cloaked completely in black, like her, but his hands were a pale alabaster, unlike her own, as if the sun had never touched him.

"One can only be naughty…" she snarled. "If all around believe so!" And then her leg arched up.

Her captor choked in pain when she hit, giving her the time she needed to rush for the window and climb out and back onto the roof. And then she was running as fast as she could, knowing that she had to get away before she could be captured.

And then she stopped when she came face-to-face with 5 Nation soldiers. Snorting, she grabbed her wave swords again, allowing a cold smirk. The soldiers charged, but Lynn was faster, slicing right through their armor and then through flesh and bone, before she darted away and leapt across the rooftops to a safer haven.

She completely ignored the voice that seemed to drift on the wind.

"…if you run… the punishment will only get worse…"

* * *

Verse 4

Somehow, don't ask how, she made it to where she left Alex's horse. Lynn mounted the steed and sent him off as fast as she could get him to go. She had to leave immediately. She finished her job in getting the information required; and as long as no one caught her, she'd be fine.

She still had a ways to go, but she was sure she'd be able to make it. Then, two soldiers jumped into her path, but she lashed out at one with her wave sword and the other was soon trampled by the horse. Not much they could do to that, and she barely stopped to think about it.

All that mattered was getting away.

* * *

Strumming his bow, a single figure stood and pulled a single arrow from the quiver across his back. Silently, he brought up the bow and arrow and aimed with a single, blood red eye, the left one covered with a black leather eye-patch.

He held the bow horizontal, head cocked only slightly, before he released the arrow. It sliced through the air with deadly precision, and hit its mark head on.

The girl screamed as the arrow struck her right between her shoulders, causing her to fall of the horse to the ground. A small smirk befell his face as he lowered the bow again. Pulling off his helmet revealed a head topped with coal-black hair, sharp facial features… and a pitch-black mark on his forehead, circling around the edges of both eyes.

_Eclipse, go get her._

**Wheehihihihihi! Gotcha, J!**

* * *

Lynn tried to move, and managed to pull herself up to her arms. The pain in her back was maddening. It hit the exact spot on her back that sent pain throughout her entire being. Reaching back with a shaking hand, she found the arrow and yanked it out with a suppressed cry.

Why hadn't she remembered to watch for archers? Dammit!

She pushed herself to her feet with some difficulty. Her horse had been frightened by the scream and had taken off without her. This just wasn't her day…

A cry threatened to burst from her throat when she nearly toppled over, though she managed to right herself just in time. 'I… I have to get out of here…' Despite the pain, she had to leave. Now.

"Heheheheheh… goin' somewhere, pretty?"

She tensed, then turned to look up. Sitting just a little out of reach, was something she recognized only from the hundreds of tales she had heard of it.

Though mostly humanoid, its arms were slightly longer, and its face was covered with half a mask, which had a large grin painted on it. The blade of a scythe seemed to sprout from the side of its head, a collar of fur encircled the back of its neck, and a set of scimitars was held in both its hands as it sat there, crouched down with its arms on its knees, frightening red eyes staring at her and a demonic grin that was its own half visible from behind the mask, revealing a mouthful of razors.

"Oh my god…" she mouthed. "A solar demon…"

Solar demons appeared every couple of hundred years, always when a full eclipse occurred. To see one was considered to be a stroke of luck. Or bad luck, as fate might have it; not many ever lived to tell of such an encounter with the demon.

The demon snickered maniacally as she backed off, stumbling a little as her vision began to blur. "You ain't goin' nowheres!" it shouted, then lunged right for her.

She had enough common sense in her to dive aside, grabbing her other wave sword and getting into a defensive position, trying to focus, but it was getting harder by the minute. And then their blades clashed and Lynn stumbled back in sheer surprise at the force of the blow. She'd never be able to match that power; it was overwhelming.

"Heheheheh… over already? Oh well…"

Lynn stepped back hurriedly and remembered something. Reaching into her pouch, she grabbed a round orb and chucked it at the demon just as it charged. It blew up in its face and instantly released the powders inside.

"AIIYEEE!" it roared, backing off to try and get it out of its eyes. She took that chance and half ran, half stumbled away as fast as her legs could carry her.

She was bleeding heavily, and she had a funny feeling that the arrow had been poisoned. She was feeling extremely lightheaded, and keeping her balance was proving to be harder and harder. Her stomach revolted against her violently and she felt like retching, but she ignored it, wanting to run as far away as she could.

She made it as far as the bridge before she dropped against the stone railing. She heard the demon scream, but her body wouldn't respond to it as she coughed and hacked, emptying her stomach right there on the bridge.

Gripping the stone tightly, she knew she couldn't be caught. Just couldn't.

Thus, she jumped onto the railing - and then over it…


	14. Chapter 13: Allies

Sorry 'bout the wait… I wasn't feeling too great…

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* * *

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**Chapter 13: Allies**

Verse 1

Even with the sun at its peak, the air was still as cold as it was that morning, but Eris was not about to complain. She asked for this herself, so she had no right to do so. Both Lina and the dragon remained silent throughout the trip, which she had partly expected in the first place.

Far below, the Union soldiers marched on, making sure to watch where the dragon flew to from time to time. The last thing they needed was lose their way this far from home. Or what they had called home at one point, at least. Many of the soldiers no longer had any place to call home, or people to call a 'family'.

It was sad, but most of the people in the Union were those who had just about lost everything. None of this should have ever happened, and yet it had. She didn't even want to know what it was the Nation was after.

Suddenly, the dragon paused, hovering in place for a moment. "What's wrong?" Eris asked.

"There is another with a pact nearby… but it seems we are not alone in realizing that."

If Eris had planned on saying anything else, she wasn't given the chance as Lina ordered her pact beast: _Then WHAT are we waiting for? Let's move!_

**Then I suggest you don't fall off!** was all the dragon said before he shot off, making Eris yelp in surprise.

* * *

Verse 2

The air was infested with nothing but creatures out for their blood, even those that seemed to be pretty much harmless otherwise. Even ordinary bats were out, which was unusual to begin with, and were clearly out for blood. Luckily, because they were so clunked together it was fairly easy to take them out.

_Why are they out at this time of day?_ Lina asked. _I thought bats were creatures of the night…_

**It seems something has completely thrown them off… I cannot say what or whom.**

Lina snarled, even as she ducked under another bat, pulling Eris down as well. Gryphons had soon enough joined in on the fight, making things even more difficult. Though bigger, they were also faster and not as easy to hit. Even so, two or three homing shots was all it took to deal with them.

Blinking, she tapped the side of the dragon's neck. _Say, aren't those…?_

**Gargoyle cubes…** the dragon confirmed. **Made by the hands of men; nature does not conjure such things.**

_This far north?_

**They are everywhere, these days. Don't act so surprised.**

Lina was wise enough not to respond to that, instead focusing on the cubes as they activated and sent beams toward them. Of course, the dragon easily swerved out of the way from the attacks, before frying them with several homing shots.

Gargoyle cubes shouldn't pose that much of a problem, she knew. The only annoyance was that they always came in such large numbers. She had never seen them before, though. Didn't mean she stopped to think about it, however.

They had work to do.

Scanning the skies quickly but carefully, she suddenly spotted movement above them. _Swerve left, NOW!_ she ordered, and the dragon immediately did as he was told, only barely avoiding a trio of fiery bolts.

**What the heck?**

_Flip over and you'll see! Hurry!_

**Fine. Hold on!** With that said, the dragon did just as Lina said, momentarily hanging upside down in the air, making Eris cry out in surprise. **Aha.** With one burst of fire he quickly wiped out the epitaph hovering above them. **Hmph. Persistent insects…**

_Just shut up and kill the others!_

The dragon snorted and flipped back around, rushing toward the rest of the Gargoyle cubes with a single magic attack. "That should do it. For now." Turning toward a landscape filled with numerous hills, he frowned upon seeing black smoke up ahead. "Hm. Where there's smoke…"

Lina frowned darkly. "Fire? In this cold? That can't be right…" Eris whispered.

"Perhaps the Nation has already been here before us…"

_Why are we still here! Just get over there!_

The dragon snorted. **Fine, fine. Hmph. You will be the end of us both one day…**

* * *

Verse 3

What had brought this on? What had they done to provoke the Nation's anger? He didn't know… he seriously didn't know. He had been out hunting with several others. They had returned earlier, and now, he returned to find everything burned to the ground.

He had immediately rushed into the village in search for his wife and son, but had found only his wife, almost swimming in her own blood. She'd been alive, barely, and hadn't lasted long. Only long enough to tell him that the Nation had invaded.

Leaving her was hard, but he knew he had to leave. He could not stay much longer. But where would he go? And how?

A sudden growling made him stop. Turning slowly, he saw a creature he would have never expected to see there. It resembled a large wolf the most, white as snow with the exception of several black patterns all over it. Its eyes seemed to stare him down almost thoughtfully, and he could only stare back in fear. If this creature decided to attack, there was nothing he could do about it.

And when it stepped toward him, he feared that was exactly what it had planned.

But then a growling voice made him pause.

"Moping for those lost will do no good…" He stared in surprise at the creature. "Nor will those who are responsible see the light… Only when you show them the same horrors you have seen will they understand…"

"But… but I'm… I'm an artist! Not a fighter!" he complained. He truly was not meant for battle; hunting was difficult enough.

"You wish their sacrifices to be in vain…?" it asked. "They perished to protect the seal they guarded… Perished to protect this world from destruction… Will you let their deaths go unpunished…?"

He opened his mouth to object, but he could only whimper as he dropped to the ground. "…but what can I do? My arm is made to hold a brush… not a sword…"

"…a pact…"

"Wha!"

"Join me… in a pact… Together… we can do more… So much more…"

He tried to speak, but nothing came out. A pact? With one of the strongest and most elusive creatures this side of the continent? _Him_? Could he… did he dare?

He recalled his wife's agony; recalled the pain she had been placed in. His son… somewhere out there, alone and afraid, or maybe still in the village… completely unrecognizable to him because of what he was forced through.

His fingers dug into the earth and his body began to shake in rage.

"A pact… with you?"

"Yes…"

He finally pushed himself to his feet and looked the wolf right in its eyes. "…I accept."

* * *

Verse 4

Lina led a group of soldiers toward the village, and a frown marred her face at the destruction that lay before them. She was only half surprised to see an actual village in this barren region, mostly because she simply didn't care. Still, despite the few monsters they had run into on the way, the place seemed to be deserted. All villagers were, clearly, dead.

"So… humans would wipe out entire villages of their own if given the chance," the dragon said from where he circled over the village, keeping a close eye on things. Last thing they needed was an ambush. "You should proceed with caution. Who knows what monstrosities they have left behind…"

Lina nodded simply, still holding onto her sword, and then she started ahead, the soldiers following close behind.

The village reeked of death and burnt flesh, the fires eating away at everything they could. She could tell they were not ordinary fires; there was just something about it that seemed unnatural. However, if asked about it, she wouldn't have an explanation about what _did_ cause it.

Stepping over another body, she asked: _Dragon, where is that guy with the pact?_

**Hmm… it seems he's moving away now. He's heading eastward, further into the hills.**

She frowned. _What would he want there?_

**Revenge, perhaps.** At that, her fist tightened around her sword. **Will you follow?**

_Does fire burn?_ she asked in return.

**Forget it. Shouldn't have asked…** As Lina made to leave the village, though… **You can't survive on hatred alone.**

_…No one asked you._

* * *

Verse 5

As they returned to the air, trusting Eris with the group of soldiers for now, Lina and the dragon headed toward where the one with the pact was probably at. Though the skies were mostly clear, there were still numerous bats and Gargoyle cubes around. Still, those hardly took them that long to take out.

"Well now… Familiar sights, eh?" the dragon said, and Lina snarled when she spotted the zeppelins up ahead. "Let's show them a 'proper' welcome, shall we?"

"Shut up and go!" she snarled out. The dragon chuckled and rushed for the zeppelins, firing off short bursts of flame that caused them to combust instantly. Of course, this caused all the zeppelins to focus on them, but it did them little good.

Once the skies were cleared, the dragon looked down and spotted the Nation's camp down below. **Sure you'll be alright on your own?**

_Shut up. Just drop me off!_

**Fine, fine.**

With that, the dragon dropped down to the battlefield that was already being torn up, even if that perpetrator was having a bit of trouble with all the soldiers. **Get ready… GO!**

That was all Lina needed to hear and she leapt down to the ground, spinning through the air and smashing down on a Nation soldier, who crumpled under the sudden assault from above. Before anyone could blink, Lina swung out violently with her sword, tearing through armor and then flesh, sending blood gushing out of the soldiers.

Her heart began to pound in her head furiously, and she could feel the demon wake up inside of her, and then it was loose and she was literally tearing all the soldiers apart. Spiraling out of the way of another attack that would have hurt (a little) she retaliated in an instant, blood beginning to coat her arms and armor. Her mouth morphed into a vicious grin, barely shifting at all as she tore through the soldiers.

A sudden shout from behind her made her look up briefly. The guy from before, the guy who had been busy with those soldiers before they had come, had shoved his sword through one of the soldiers before shoving him away. The two looked at each other for a moment, and a ripple of contact flashed across their minds.

Without a single word spoken, both turned to the soldiers' reinforcements. Both gripped their weapons tightly, before they shot forward. Straight into the fray.

The soldiers, believing the two to be fools, rushed straight for them, intent on ripping them to shreds. In the end, they were the ones getting ripped to shreds…

Though clearly not used to battle, the man seemed to have a certain fire within him that spurred him on. Not as much as her demon, she knew, but it kept him going, at least. And at that moment, it was more than enough.

But then she saw the monsters that came from the encampment. _Grr! DRAGON! They recruited monsters! Do something about it!_

**Always barking orders, aren't you?** the dragon snorted. **But fine. It beats hanging in the air watching you slaughter everything in sight.**

Lina did not comment.

Suddenly, a blur of white shot past her, and she blinked briefly, as the large white wolf shot straight toward the monsters along with the dragon. Shaking it off as a blade graced her cheek, she roared in rage and sliced open the soldier's throat in an instant. Now the blood was on her face as well, and she could care less.

* * *

Verse 6

Eventually, the battle was over. Every Nation soldier had been slain, all monsters killed, and the place was now, like the village, covered in death. Lina and the man gazed upon the destruction they had caused, one looking like he regretted what he had done, for a moment, the other not seeming to care.

Then the man turned slowly to her and spoke. "So… you have a pact, too?"

Lina looked at him with a look that said "No, really?"

Now that things had quieted, she looked him over once. He was dressed very casually, not wearing an armor at all. His hair was short and black, smoothed back, and his eyes were dark brown, almost black. His features said he was not from these parts originally, though, from his slanted eyes to his sharp features.

"Then… it was your dragon I heard… I almost feared I had been mistaken," he said. Lina had no response to that, snorting instead and kicking one of the dead bodies away. "… They… they took away everything…" he admitted. "There is nothing left for me here…" Turning to her as the white wolf stood behind him, he said: "The Nation is your enemy as well, right? Then please, let us come with you."

Lina looked at him suspiciously, before she pointed her sword at him. "What reason do you have to oppose the Nation?" the dragon asked for her. "Surely, not just because you lost everything."

"…They wish to destroy this world by breaking the seals… I will not let that happen. Please…"

For a moment, Lina seemed to consider refusing, before she scoffed and sheathed her sword once more. "How many villages are in this region?" the dragon demanded.

"There are not many. The nearest village from our own is across these hills and then to the north of the pinewoods. It can take days to reach, I'm afraid."

"We'll have to take that risk."

The man nodded. "Ah. I am Isaac. This is Irei," he said, gesturing for the white wolf.

Lina snorted. "This girl is known as Lina, and my name is none of your, or anyone's, business." At that, Lina just shook her head with a small shrug. "It's time to move on… let's be off."

With that, the group left silently.

* * *

"New ally gained: Isaac"

"Weapon: Chinese Sword / No name"

"Pact partner: Irei, Spirit Wolf"


	15. Chapter 14: Impossible

I was tempted to switch to Lynn again, but decided it'd be too soon just yet, so instead, we follow Lina and the Union for a while longer.

Oh by the way, I need some beasts for the upcoming two allies. I want two more, minimum (for the good guys), but I'm short on ideas for pact-beasts. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it.

Also, I'm terribly sorry for the delay, but I've been distracted more often than not just when the story was going good, and afterward, it was too late to continue. So, my apologies.

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**Chapter 14: Impossible**

Verse 1

Once the Union soldiers had caught up to them, they had once again continued their journey, this time across the hills which would, hopefully, lead to a village that was not destroyed. They could only hope that the Nation had not continued its trek north already.

As they went, Isaac was seated upon Irei, walking ahead of the group to lead the way solemnly.

Eris had decided against going with Lina and the dragon this time, which was fine with them. The dragon had been nothing like Legna; she couldn't get used to this one. Perhaps because they were of a different race of dragon, but she couldn't be sure.

As she looked ahead at the wolf up ahead, she recalled a story she had heard long ago, about such wolves. They were known as "Spirit Wolves" and were said to guide lost spirits to heaven or hell. Of course, the gods only know how much of that was true. She had learned long ago to never trust any myth blindly.

Gazing up, she saw that the dragon had flown ahead, probably to clear the sky and ground before they arrived. She knew he and Lina would be fine, but she still worried. Because in her mind, she could still see the small girl that Nowe had introduced her to all those years ago.

'Lina… please be careful…'

* * *

Verse 2

The cold would have done in anyone long ago, and yet she kept on going. He had to commend her for that. Humans could only stand so much, but this girl… she seemed to ignore her own limits and pushed herself even further.

Her sometimes rash behavior could only lead to either of the two's death, which inevitably would be the death of them both. To say that it irked him would be a definite understatement. Being bound to a human was bad enough. Being bound to one who didn't seem to have any serious desire to live was even _worse_.

Well, he supposed that was a lie. She _had_ after all said she wished to live. But that didn't explain why she was willing fight like she was some kind of demon. Even she couldn't possibly continue like that forever.

**You _do_ realize you're only human, correct?**

He could feel her surprise. _…What brought that on?_ she asked in suspicion.

**The way you seem intent on destroying the Nation on your own. There's only so much your race can do alone.**

She snorted. _Say what you want and I'll prove you wrong!_

**It's impossible, child. You can't do it. No man can.**

_Those who say something is impossible should not interrupt the one doing it._

**…and what is THAT supposed to mean?**

_Nothing is impossible. You'd do best to remember that._

**…Hmph. I'll remember that next time you decide to wipe out an army on your own.**

The girl didn't even bother to respond; she simply stared on ahead of them. Neither really cared that much about the silence. After all it wasn't like they actually _cared_ about their pact partner. Get real…

Just then, the dragon sniffed at the air and growled. "I can smell them… there're still more of them." He could feel his partner's grin even if he couldn't see her, and suppressed a snort. Instead, he clapped his wings once and sent them speeding through the air toward their quarry.

As soon as the gryphons spotted them, the hybrid creatures screeched and lunged instantly. The dragon easily swerved out of the way, spinning around and launching several shots that fried their tail-feathers, making them screech in pain before they fell to the earth far below them.

Turning back around, they continued on their way, before the dragon snorted. "The Nation has been past here. The village may already be gone."

She frowned at that, but didn't say anything else otherwise.

He didn't bother to ask if they were still going, knowing what the answer would be, and instead hurried onward.

* * *

Verse 3

The skies ahead of them were dotted with a multitude of Gargoyle cubes, and a limited amount of zeppelins. No battleships this time around. Flying through the blasts shot at them from the cubes, the dragon shot several cubes as he sailed through the horde. Lina often had to duck to avoid hitting her head against one of the cubes they passed, making her curse at the dragon angrily. And all he responded with was a wry chuckle.

Swerving to the side, avoiding a blast as well as another cube that had suddenly popped up in front of them, he almost rolled over through the air from the force he went at. "Agrh! Blast it! That wasn't my intention!"

Lina had only just managed to grab hold of the dragon's neck to avoid being thrown off. The jolt had been strong enough to almost send _her_ flying, though she doubted he would have let her fall to her death. That'd be pretty stupid of him, after all.

Still, she was _not_ about to take that chance.

"Can't you be more careful?" she demanded in anger.

"I'd like to see you handle these kinds of situations for a change!" the dragon shouted back, before he fried a number of cubes to their right.

Lina snarled, before she picked up something from behind them. Whipping around, she paled at what she saw. And in a total of 2 seconds, she knew the following; they had to move immediately or risk getting hit, there was _no_ way to move out of the way _and_ turn around to retaliate. Unless…

Reaching out quickly with her mind as she dropped forward and clung to his neck, she ordered him to dive and then fly upside down back the way they came. As she expected, there was no way he could disobey a direct order and thus he folded his wings against his body, allowing them to drop, a burst of flames only just grazing the tip of his tail. "Agh!"

Lina struggled to breathe, but it wasn't easy, and then she tightened her grip on his neck when he unfolded his wings and did just as she had ordered. "Grrr! That's it!" he snarled, blasting the epitaph to bits before he launched another magic attack that destroyed the remaining cubes.

Righting himself to fly in the direction they had been going, he said with a snarl: "These guys are starting to work on my nerves…"

The redhead decided not to respond, panting a little from the lack of air from before. She wasn't sure if she'd _ever_ get used to that.

He didn't say "thank you" and she hadn't been expecting it. He would have ensured her safety when she'd been in such a situation on ground level, if only to preserve his own existence. And she wouldn't have thanked him either.

At that point, the village came into view and she frowned. "It still stands… it's probably infested with soldiers, though." She nodded in agreement, feeling the demon begin to stir within her.

"Just drop me off and get the Goddess up in the air. Last we need is them getting to her."

"Very well… but I'll say it again, it's impossible, girl."

"And I'll say it as well; _nothing_ is impossible," Lina countered as she pulled out her sword. "Now shut up and get me down there!"

* * *

Verse 4

As she landed in a crouch, Lina immediately rushed toward the village, even as the dragon turned and sped toward the incoming Union soldiers. If they were going to be fighting the Nation again, it wouldn't do them any good if they captured Eris during the assault. And while Lina knew the Goddess could take care of herself, it was still a risk none were willing to take.

Lina quickly pushed that thought aside as a group of soldiers jumped at her from her right. Instantly, a grin formed on the woman's face as she darted aside and out of reach. And barely two seconds later, she bolted right back at them, her sword tearing through armor and flesh in the same instant, spraying blood over her face. Bringing up her arm, she blocked an incoming hit with her gauntlet and shoved forward with her sword, drilling it through the soldier's gut before she spun around and sliced through two more.

'Impossible… hah! Yeah, right!' Lina's grin only widened when even more soldiers rushed toward her position. She only chuckled and ran toward them, before she dived to the side to avoid getting her head smashed in by a piece of rock that had sailed in from behind the group of soldiers.

At that, she had to frown. _Dragon! Don't fly above the village! They've got catapults set up!_

**Hmm… seems they're getting desperate.**

Knowing the catapult was probably protected by bowmen, she gathered enough energy and launched a number of fiery bolts at the soldiers, wiping them out in an instant. Which also included a number of bowmen. Not all of them, unfortunately.

Even so, she raced toward the catapult ahead, diving aside from arrows and rocks shot her way, before she finished off the soldiers with a strong swing of her blade.

And then there was a searing pain in her right arm. But she only hissed, and then retaliated just as fast, ignoring the blood dripping down her arm that was definitely not that of an enemy. Instead, her pain only further fueled the demon's rage.

By the time the Union got there, most of the soldiers already lay dead throughout the village, leaving only 2 or 3 squads for them to deal with.

Isaac was first to arrive, on the back of Irei, and he instantly unsheathed his sword as she drove toward the squads. He managed to take down quite a number of soldiers before they had him surrounded. Which did not last long as Lina ripped several apart, offering a distraction that allowed Isaac to dismount Irei and tear through the soldiers alongside her.

She still didn't trust Isaac just yet, but he had yet to give a reason to be disloyal to them. For now, she was willing enough to work with him. But her trust would take a long time to win.

* * *

Verse 5

Staring at the scene with an almost morbid fascination, Lina barely listened as her soldiers congratulated each other on a job well done. It didn't bother her; she allowed them to have a bit of honor in this. To many, such a small victory was plenty, for the moment.

Isaac shuddered at the blood that painted the village red, before he turned to Lina. "Lina, why must so many be killed? Surely such massacre is not needed!"

Lina glared and Isaac stumbled back when she aimed her sword right at his nose. "If they had not been stopped, many more innocent victims would have fallen in their stead. Is that the path you prefer to take?" the dragon demanded for her.

"…" Isaac bit his lip. "No… but…"

"Regret is for fools. Best you get used to the concept of war before it kills you."

Isaac said nothing even as Lina turned and walked away. 'What drives you that you can fight like so…?' he wondered to himself. 'What rage burns within you so fiercely…?'

He watched her go with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

* * *

Verse 6

As she exited the village, she saw that a number of soldiers had already begun to set up camp far enough from the village so that they wouldn't be noticed right away. That was a good thing; if reinforcements arrived, it would not do them any good to be in the middle of it.

And suddenly her dragon landed right beside her. When she saw he was alone, she frowned.

**The Goddess is safe, before you start with me. I left her at the camp.**

_Fine._ Silently she sheathed her blade. She was definitely not in the mood to argue.

Turning to face the face the village, she couldn't help but wonder what the Nation was really after. There had to be some ulterior motive for their wish to destroy the seals. Not that she stopped too long to think about it.

Her arm was really starting to ache now. Not hurt, mind you, it just ached. The cold had already frozen most of the blood clinging to her, which was more than a little nippy, but she'd be damned if she told anyone that.

Before she could start the trek to the camp, though, the dragon snatched her up again and deposited her on his back. "Gah! What the heck are you doing!" she demanded.

"Quit complaining. You're wasting time walking."

She snarled angrily, but he ignored it and flew toward the camp without another word.

* * *

Verse 7

It didn't take them long to get to the camp, and when they did, Lina got off the dragon without a word. Not that that was new. As she did, however, Eris spotted her and smiled in relief.

"Lina!" she called out and hurried over, before giving the girl a quick hug. "I'm so glad you're okay." The woman didn't respond to the hug, and simply nodded once when Eris pulled back. The brunette allowed a smile and said: "You're almost as stubborn as Nowe was as a Knight, you know?"

Lina instantly clenched her fists tightly at the mention of Nowe and turned away pointedly. But before Eris could ask, Lina stalked right past her. Eris could only watch her go, wondering if that was the wrong thing to say, before realizing that Lina probably didn't wish to be reminded of Nowe or Manah.

'Two names that are taboo around her… Lina… what happened to you?'

* * *

Verse 8

Washing off the blood from her skin wasn't that much of a problem. Lina simply grabbed a basin and filled it with snow before taking it back in the tent and setting it over a fire in her tent to make the snow melt into water. With the lukewarm water, she managed to remove the blood no problem, but as soon as she came to her own wound, once the blood was gone, it almost immediately began to bleed again.

Barely wincing, she grabbed the roll of bandage she brought and wrapped up the wound quickly. That didn't take her all that long, though it took her a bit to get it secured. She hissed when she pulled it tightly over the wound to prevent further bleeding.

When she was finally done with that, she blew out the fire and set aside the basin so she wouldn't knock it over. She wasn't about to throw the water out and make someone else slip on it when it became ice in minutes. A broken tailbone was the last thing anyone needed.

Sitting down heavily, she just sat for a moment, before there was a touch at the back of her mind. _What do you want?_

**You'll catch a cold like that.**

_I'm fine._

**Yeah, right. Get out here before I burn that thing you call a 'shelter' down.**

_Now who's barking orders?_ she grumbled but did as she was told, going out of the tent even when most others went to their own to get some rest. It'd been a long day, and they were all tired. Only the first watchmen remained awake, and they only nodded in greeting to her as she passed.

She passed Isaac and Irei, too, but she didn't offer any greeting, and neither did he.

Finally, she made it to the dragon and she allowed herself to frown. _If you're not careful, you're gonna make me believe you care._

**Hmph. Don't flatter yourself. I refuse to die because my partner decides to die of a common cold.**

_Whatever…_ Lina snorted and just dropped back against him.

Neither spoke for a long time, before the dragon said: **You're a damn fool, know that?**

Lina snorted. _No, really? What gave you that idea?_ she asked sarcastically.

**Oh, I don't know… that tendency of yours to challenge a whole flock of soldiers when you're by yourself, perhaps.**

_You ever heard of "sarcasm", perhaps?_

The dragon merely chuckled, which vibrated through his whole being. Lina said nothing else, even when he ducked his head in under his wing with her. Instead, she tugged her cloak around her and shut her eyes. No use getting all riled up now.

And, despite being out in the cold all day, the dragon's scales were remarkably warm. She wasn't about to question why, knowing she wouldn't get an answer anyway. For some reason, being there, under the dragon's wing, soothed her nerves, at least a little bit.

She had dozed off before she was rightfully aware of it.


	16. Chapter 15: Angel

Dammit it's one distraction after the other! First PKMN Ranger & Diamond, then SMT:DDS (I'm an RPG-fan. Sue me.). Urgh! Dammit, where's the dragon games these days?

Oh, and I know a couple of repeat-reviewers who are going to be VERY happy with the first verse.

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* * *

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**Chapter 15: Angel**

Verse 1

Now these were familiar settings. That was the first thing to enter her mind when she opened her eyes and gazed upon the hundreds of dead around her. Before, it would've made her sick, and now it barely did anything to her.

Silently, she began moving ahead, not really bothering with where she was going, nor caring if she stepped on anything as she went. Whether it was actually a corpse or merely an empty helmet, she didn't much care.

Despite being in 'familiar' territory, something felt strangely off. As if there was something there that wasn't there before, but she couldn't place what it could possibly be. Everything seemed to be in order, so what had changed?

Looking around for a moment, she finally realized what had changed. She didn't remember there having been a castle in this place the last time she had been there. Slightly curious about what could be there, she altered her course and walked almost casually toward it.

Something about it was… awfully familiar, but she just couldn't place it. It was a nice castle, even if it wasn't really that big. When she approached it, she looked up at it for a moment, frowning. It looked so hauntingly familiar, but she simply couldn't place it…

Stepping inside toward the bailey, she noticed that there were by far less dead around. If she had to make a rough estimation, there were about forty soldiers lying about, all of them scattered around a ring of what looked like blood. Walking toward it, she spotted the words written on the ground, but was unable to make out what they said. She gave up trying to read them and instead focused on what had at one point been inside the ring of words.

Whatever it had been, it had to have been pretty big if it had to fit in that thing. Almost ten times as big as she was. Its blood still painted the stones a dark red, but didn't offer her a specific shape of whatever had been there.

With a frown, she stepped into the circle and looked around it to look for any abnormalities. Didn't take her long to spot something; there was a smaller pool of blood just outside the ring, as if someone had stood there bleeding profusely. Though that hardly made sense. Why would anyone bother?

And then something happened…

Voices seemed to waft around her, making her look around in slight suspicion, but she saw nothing. The first voice was raspy, but clearly feminine. A dragon, maybe…

"Kill me if you desire…" she spoke, and a hint of rage and resentment could be heard in it. "But you can never dirty my soul, wretched human."

A frown formed, but the small pause that followed was not enough for her to question it.

"Tell me, do you still want to live, dragon?" a second voice asked, clearly male, and one that sounded… oddly familiar. Speaking of, that first voice sounded pretty familiar, too.

"…What?" the first voice, that of the dragon, asked, and she was suddenly struck with a feeling of déjà vu. This sounded strangely similar to how she met the silver dragon.

"A pact! There's no other way."

"Hmph. What makes you worthy of a pact with me?" She tried not to chuckle. Were all dragons _that_ stubborn?

"Worthy or not… I wish to live! Despise me if you will, but I shall not die!" She blinked. What in the…? "Your answer; a pact or death!"

And then… movement.

Whipping around, she wasn't surprised when the dead suddenly arose from where they had been. Snarling, she let out a roar as she unsheathed her sword and raced right toward them. Caim had been there last time to protect her; but she could handle them fine on her own now.

Many of the dead were not even given the chance to pull out their swords before she killed them again. And as she did, she heard the man call out: "You interrupt us! Go back to hell, hyenas!"

Dammit, what was going on?

The first 36 were simple soldiers, nothing she wasn't used to. The last four, however, were much larger, faster, and stronger. One swing across and she was sent flying with a cry. Not that that stopped her, mind you. She was back up in an instant and lunged forward with a roar.

As soon as the last one fell, the dragon said, voice full of surprise: "Still alive? You're blessed by the devil's luck… A pact with you…"

Panting, she straightened up, looking around at the dead once more. She was missing something, she knew. But what? Shrugging it off, she turned to head for the circle again… but stopped short with a gasp.

'When did that get here?' she thought as she stared at the large red dragon with its yellow horns. Its tail was segmented with small rivers of magma, or so it seemed. It was by far bigger than the silver dragon she rode, no doubt about that. The ring it sat in hardly seemed big enough for it. How the _heck_ did she miss that?

The dragon seemed to be asleep, or pretending to be, at least, and slowly, ever so slowly, she walked toward it. She saw that its scales were like the color of blood.

She could've sworn she blinked once, and then the entire scenery changed. The castle's stones were different, there were more towers and she could feel the presence of several soldiers outside. An intricate seal was painted in red lettering around the dragon, one that seemed to hold it down. And then a voice whispered… soft and weak, the same voice from before, the dragon's voice, filled with such pain and agony it made her want to weep.

"Caim… Caaiim… Caaaiiiim…"

Caim? It-no, she-was asking for Caim? Could it… was this dragon… Caim's pact beast? The Red Dragon who became the Goddess Seal?

There was such pain in her voice that she couldn't help herself. She ran the last remaining distance to the dragon and settled beside her, reaching out and placing a tentative hand on the red scales. She shivered. She was cold; this wasn't right. A dragon wasn't supposed to be cold! Even in winter, they should NOT be this cold! Was her pain so great that her body failed to function properly?

Why didn't ANYONE do something? Where was Caim?

But… this wasn't the same castle, was it? Maybe Caim didn't know where the dragon was… Maybe he couldn't tell where she was… Maybe…

And then suddenly, she screamed out and dropped down in pain next to the dragon, roaring and crying in agony. What was happening! Dammit! It hurt! Oh god, it hurt so much! She wanted to cry but her eyes would not shed a single tear.

And just, only just over the sheer pain in her mind, a voice cried out.

_Angelus! Angelus, where are you! Angelus, please answer me! Please!_

That voice… why… why did it… sound so… familiar? Who… who was Angelus?

* * *

Verse 2

She instantly bolted awake, gasping for breath as the pain slowly disappeared from her head. How did that keep happening?

**You really have to stop waking me like that,** a cheeky voice suddenly quipped, and she growled.

_I didn't ASK for those dreams alright?_ she snarled back. _Leave me alone!_

She rolled over so she wouldn't have to look at him, but the dragon rolled her right back over with his snout. Lina glared in anger, before she looked away pointedly. Why did he insist on making her talk all the time!

A prod to her stomach made her choke as the air was momentarily forced out of her. _Dammit, would you STOP that!_ she snarled.

**Are you ready to talk, then?**

She suppressed the urge to growl. It was no use trying to get out of this one. _Fine,_ she said, and began to relay the dream to him. He didn't interrupt once, which made it slightly easier to talk to him, despite the fact that she hated talking in the first place.

Lina had figured out the dragon would not let her be until she talked, anyway.

_…then someone started calling… calling for someone called "Angelus"._

At that, the dragon instantly snapped his head up to face her properly. **Did you say… Angelus?**

Lina blinked, then nodded. _Yeah… why? You know 'em?_

The dragon didn't answer, seemingly lost in thought. Up until Lina kicked him to his snout. "Agh!"

_Answer me, dammit! Who is this "Angelus"?_

He glared angrily, close to growling, before he snorted. **A red dragon.** he said plainly.

_That does NOT tell me much!  
_

**It's all you're getting, now SHUT UP!**

Both glared at each other for a long time, neither all that anxious to give in. Lina's weariness was creeping up on her again, but she was not letting it get the best of her. Or so she kept telling herself. To be honest, it was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open.

In the end, she growled out: "I hate you…" before she succumbed to sleep and fell back against him.

He watched her silently, before he laid his head back down. '…could it?' he wondered, just before he, too, shut his eyes and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Verse 3

As morning came, Isaac, once more, wondered what had possessed him to join the Union. But, he guessed he had no right to complain. They were the enemy of his enemy, which made them allies, he supposed. Still, the way they dealt with things often had him wonder if they weren't worse than the Nation.

Then again, perhaps it only seemed that way because he had never seen this side of the world before. He had been raised to be an artist, not a warrior. Now, however, it was all he had.

Looking down at his hands, he absently trailed his fingers over the black markings covering his hands. After his family, the thing most irreplaceable to him was his talent. Now, even that was taken away from him, if by his own choice to place revenge first and foremost on his mind.

He wished he could blame Irei, but knew that would do him little good. Even without her, he would have eventually traveled down that path. The only difference was that he was stronger now.

And, maybe he shouldn't be so hard on Lina. After all, he had no idea what she had been through, which gave him no right to judge her. But no one could deny that she was… well, cold, he supposed was the proper word. But maybe it was only because she led so many people that she was like that. Or was there something else?

He wasn't too sure.

Giving a small sigh, he finally stood and exited the tent, taking a moment to look over the soldiers as they awoke, one by one. He wondered what should be done now. They had very limited options at that point. The Nation had already invaded two villages in this area.

Considering how few villages were actually this high north, not to mention the distance that lay between them, it was a feat, indeed. He wondered how the Nation moved at such high speeds, but eventually shook it off as he joined the soldiers for breakfast, even if it mostly existed out of rations. It was better than nothing.

As he sat down on a seat, bowl placed in his lap, he looked around the faces of the soldiers for a moment, then tensed when he spotted Lina walking over. The girl barely looked at any of the soldiers and just sat down to eat in silence. Before he could say anything, though, Irei walked over and silently sat down beside him.

She had been hunting for some forest critters. Of course, wolves would not be satisfied with what they were eating, and he didn't blame her one bit.

Silence followed for a moment, before Irei spoke abruptly. "They have gone for the seal…"

Lina's head snapped up in surprise, before she frowned darkly, as if demanding what the wolf meant. Isaac turned to his pact beast, and asked: "The seal…? Where is it?"

"It lies to the northeast… within a temple that has long since been empty…"

"A temple…? Here?" Isaac blurted out in surprise. Lina barely seemed all that surprised.

Irei didn't bother with it and continued. "Though the passage is hidden… we should make haste for the temple… before the Nation gets there…"

With that, Lina slammed down her bowl and stood quickly before she whirled around and stalked away. Clearly, that was how she said they were to leave immediately. Sighing, Isaac just finished his food quickly, before he turned to Irei wordlessly. The wolf allowed him to climb on her back, before she rushed off after Lina. The soldiers would follow soon enough, they knew.

* * *

Verse 4

As the Union began to move again, Lina and the dragon flew high above them, clearing the air of any unnecessary pests. Of course, that barely took them that long. Lina was starting to get used to the dragon's sudden aerial maneuvers at times, and began to sense whenever he was about to accelerate or spin around.

Neither of the two spoke as they continued onward. They had nothing to say, after all. It wasn't like they cared.

As they went, Lina's thoughts traveled back to her… dream.

Something inside her convinced her it wasn't just a dream. Something about it had seemed… strangely familiar. And those voices… Who had they been? Maybe Caim and the red dragon…

…and who was "Angelus"? Caim's pact beast? The dragon had said Angelus was a red dragon, so she couldn't just rule it out. Still, his "information" was not all that handy. It didn't explain why she was having those dreams, why she was hearing the voices of people she had never met. Well, she _had_ "met" Caim, but had never heard him speak before.

But those voices… they had sounded _so_ familiar… where had she heard them before?

Eventually, she shook her head and just focused on the task ahead. She'd be no good to anyone if she wasn't focused.


	17. Chapter 16: Acupuncturing

Something I forget to add several times now; kudos to whoever can guess where the idea of Isaac and Irei comes from.

Also, try to guess which words, or phrase, Lynn decided _not_ to say.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 16: Acupuncturing**

Verse 1

The first conscious thought in her mind was of extreme pain in her back. Then came the pulsing ache in her head, making the world seem fuzzy, even behind closed eyelids. Then there was the cold… where was she anyway and why the hell was it so damned cold? She groaned in pain and attempted to move…

But a warm hand placed upon her shoulder stopped her short. "You shouldn't move," a voice spoke. …why did it sound familiar? "You're still not healed completely. Give it some time."

Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to open them. She couldn't stand not knowing where she was and with who. She _had_ to know, dammit. But the world was so fuzzy, she couldn't make anything out but a blob of pink and brown. The swirling colors almost made her sick.

So she shut her eyes again with a moan of pain. Dammit…

"Take it easy…" the same voice said. "No one's going to hurt you here. You're safe."

And this guy expected her to believe that? She had learned the hard way to never trust such words. She was NOT about to just drop her guard like that just because he said that.

If only she could at least _move_.

But the fact was that she couldn't… so she was, sadly enough, stuck as it was.

Still, her aching mind would not let her stay awake for long, and she soon dozed off again, despite her wish not to.

* * *

Verse 2

When she woke up next, she was feeling, well, better. The pain in her back had gone, and her mind had cleared up as well, which was a relief. It was warmer, too, which was a good thing. She hadn't liked the cold one bit. She hummed a little, allowing herself to linger just a little longer before she attempted to wake. It was always hard to return to the world of the living.

Finally, she managed to wake completely, though she still blinked wearily as she sat up. She shook her head to clear her vision, so that what she saw at least made sense to her. Once it did, she tried to remember who she was, just to see if she didn't have amnesia.

'Who am I? Lynn. How old am I? Err… 22? Where am I from? Um… I dunno. Okay, I'm fine.'

Stretching once, she groaned a little when her spine popped, but barely reacted otherwise. Once she was sure she could stay awake, she looked around the room curiously. It was clearly a hotel room; there were hardly any things that indicated a person actually lived there. Whoever had been there with her was not there at that moment.

As Lynn's gaze fell upon the nightstand, she noticed a note, held down by a small rock. Lifting the rock and picking up the note, she looked it over curiously.

"In case you wake while I'm gone, your injuries should be fine now. Just don't move around too much just yet. You're in no condition to be moving around." At that, she frowned darkly. "I'll be the judge of that…"

With that, she climbed out of bed, wincing only a little at the sting in her back and began to search for her gear. That barely took her long, and soon she was dressed to leave. The only thing missing would be her swords.

…which proved themselves to be difficult to find.

She searched for a moment longer, before she came to the only conclusion available. "That bastard took my swords so I wouldn't leave!" she snarled. Now that just ticked her off.

However, without her swords, there was little she could do. She'd HAVE to stay, dangit all.

Angry at whoever had taken care of her injuries and had taken her swords away from her, she dropped back onto the bed, grumbling.

Then she noticed her bag.

It was lying just there in front of her, but she'd completely overlooked it somehow. Lynn blinked, and looked at the bag almost curiously, and then shot up and grabbed it when she remembered what she'd put in there. Opening it, she sighed in relief when she saw the reports were still in there.

Pulling them out and skimming them over revealed them to be eligible, and still readable, which was good. She had never expected to survive; that was why she jumped anyway. She'd rather be dead than captured with that info on her, and jumping in a river was, at the time, the easiest thing for her to do.

With nothing better to do, she set down her bag leaned against the headboard and began to read the reports over. In all her hurrying, she hadn't had the time.

* * *

Verse 3

The reports were tucked away as far as they could in the bag, the bag as far away from _her_ as possible without her losing sight of it. Which meant it was now on the other side of the room. Lynn'd read everything, and she had never been more gobsmacked in her life. What the Nation was planning, it was… she wasn't sure what the word was.

She knew one thing about it; she agreed with them.

However, their reasoning seemed right to her, but the way they went about it was completely against what they preached for. And that was something Lynn hated _very_ much.

She would wait until the guy who took her swords came back and then she was out of there.

"It's good to see you awake," a voice called out. Snarling, she turned to the source and was about to demand her swords back - but it stopped short when she realized just _who_ she was looking at.

"Nowe?" she asked in surprise, recognizing the man from years ago. She'd never forget him; there were only so many who such a spiky mess of reddish-brown hair and even less with eyes that spoke of plenty of experience in battle, yet also of the kindness in his soul. The only difference was that he seemed… well, only a little older. It was almost like he HADN'T aged and simply grew a little and then completely stopped altogether.

Nowe smiled a little. "Well, good to see you at least remember me."

At that, Lynn blinked. "You… you still know who I am?" she asked softly.

"Of course. Madelynn, wasn't it?"

Lynn bit her lip and nodded. She hadn't used that name in years. The last time had been almost 10 years ago, if not more. The name now only served to remind her of everything she had lost.

"…yeah…"

Nowe walked over and sat down on the foot of the bed. "So, can you tell me what you were doing in the dungeons of the Nation?"

"…I was in the dungeon?" Lynn blinked. Had she been out for that long?

Nowe nodded softly. "Yeah. I was surprised to find you there. What got you there?"

Lynn was silent, before she pulled up her legs silently and rested her chin on her knees. "…I'd rather not talk about it," she finally admitted. The look Nowe was giving her was not one she liked. It was like her father's when he was about to scold her. It made her shiver and duck her face into her knees. "Please don't look at me like that…"

"Huh?" She could hear the surprise in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Just don't…" She probably confused him, but she didn't much care. She hated being looked at like that.

"Oh… okay." Though he wondered what was wrong, he decided not to pursue the matter.

Then suddenly, Lynn peeked out from under her bangs and asked: "What were _you_ doing in a dungeon?"

At that, Nowe's face took on an expression she enjoyed far better. He smiled at her, small dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Getting out innocent people like you. I couldn't just leave you all to your fate, could I?"

Lynn managed to curve her mouth into a half-smile, feeling as though it took way too much effort. It had been too long since she had smiled, for real, and it would be a long time before she would again. Perhaps she never would again.

"…thanks…"

Nowe smiled warmly, standing up and patting her on her shoulder. "Get some rest. The poison hasn't left you completely just yet. Give it some time."

"Poison…?" Lynn frowned, trying to recall, and then she remembered the searing pain in her back. "Oh… right. I was shot off my horse…" And then she remembered something else. "Nightshade! Dammit! I gotta get-"

But before she could get up, Nowe stopped her. "Take it easy… I don't think you'll ever find your horse back at this point. I don't know how long you've been there, but I doubt they'd keep your horse there."

Lynn had to agree with that, sadly enough, and allowed Nowe to push her back down. "I guess…" she whispered. "…what about my swords?"

At that, Nowe blinked. "You have swords?"

"…you mean you don't have them?"

Nowe shook his head and Lynn groaned. This really _wasn't_ her day, was it? First her horse and now her swords?

She refrained from saying the words she longed to say, knowing it was like an invitation for disaster.

* * *

Verse 4

Once Nowe had left her alone again, Lynn had hesitated about what to do, but her body decided for her and told her it was still dead-tired despite having slept for god knows how long. Her body refused to process any foods or liquids she swallowed, ejecting it only minutes after. Nowe explained that it was probably a side effect from the poison, and she didn't like it.

She was damn well starving but couldn't keep anything in for long enough to satisfy her growling stomach. And she was getting angrier by the minute, yet she couldn't do anything about it. She wanted her swords back, she wanted to be back on her feet, she wanted…

She wanted to stop sounding like a whiny little brat. It wasn't getting her anywhere.

Most of her time there was spent sleeping, hoping that she'd be able to get rid of the poison quicker that way. She still didn't know what kind of poison she was hit with, but it had hit her, hard. Also, if she didn't move, she wouldn't use up any more energy and wouldn't be as desperate for nutrition.

It seemed to work, and slowly, she began to consume a little more food that helped keep her going.

Nowe had disappeared again, but Lynn knew he'd be back before she could miss him. Not that she did, mind you. Still, she hated not knowing what he was doing. She had learned long ago to never trust anyone. She didn't even trust Alexander all that much. All she trusted about him were the jobs he offered, and that was it.

It wouldn't be the first time she'd been betrayed by people she trusted.

But… was Nowe really the type to betray someone? Somehow, she seriously doubted he'd stoop down to that level. After all that trouble he'd gone through to get her out of the dungeon? Probably not.

And despite that, she still didn't have her swords back…

"You busy?" Lynn looked up wearily.

"Hey Nowe…" she quipped, looking up to Nowe's smiling face. "…what? What's so funny?"

Nowe's smile, if possible, only widened. "Should there be something funny?"

Instantly, she shot up on the bed, ready to demand an answer, but her stomach revolted against the motion and she almost fell out of bed if Nowe hadn't stopped her. But she noticed he kept one hand behind his back the whole time. "You're hiding something!" she accused, pointing a finger at him.

"No, I'm not." Nowe laughed as she attempted to reach behind his back, moving aside while keeping the object he held out of sight.

"You _are_!" she hissed. "Fess up! What're you hiding?"

"Okay, okay, you got me," Nowe laughed, straightening up and casually tossing a neatly wrapped up package onto the girl's lap.

Lynn blinked a bit dumbly, before she quickly unwrapped the package. "My swords!" she exclaimed, holding them up with a grin.

"Wasn't easy finding them, but-whoa!" Nowe wasn't given the chance to finish as Lynn hugged him around his waist in thanks. He hadn't expected her to be _that_ happy to have her swords back, but figured they had to be very important to her if she wanted them back that much.

Still, he wasn't about to question it, and just held onto her silently.

He knew she had changed. Knew that something was eating at her ever since she first woke up under his watch, but wasn't sure how to ask her about it. He felt it was important, but had no way to breach the subject with her.

Nowe could only hope that none of this would hurt anyone in the end, least of all her.

* * *

Verse 5

A single bird, big enough to wrap a grown man into its wings with room to spare, spread its wings, catching the winds and keeping afloat on the hot air in the skies with nary a sound escaping its beak. Talons that looked sharp enough to rend a horse to ribbons of flesh were pulled up against its body almost protectively. Sharp, piercing eyes surveyed over everything, including the village that rested far below.

Then, it clucked its beak and beat its wings once, increasing its pace and rushing toward its goal now that it knew what it had set out for. It would be long before it would be able to return home, but that was not its destination now.

Its goal was the camp hidden behind a number of hills to the far south of the town. There, it descended upon them and settled soundlessly upon a pole made especially to hold the large bird's weight. Upon noticing the bird, a black-haired archer looked up silently.

"Have you found her?" he asked.

The bird beat its wings once to get the few kinks out as it communicated with the archer with its mind. **She is within the village. The poison still runs thick in her blood.** At this point, it almost seemed to glower, however. **However, the one who took her is still with her. Be wary of him; he is a threat to us all.**

"Understood," he said with a quick salute. Then he reached out with his own mind. _Eclipse!_

**Yeah, J? 'Sup?**

_She's been found. Get the others and move out. And DON'T screw up this time!_

**Ey you know darn well I ain't gettin' mah fur wet!**

_You'd have been in much more trouble had she gotten away at that point. Idiot…_

**I HEARD DAT!**

"That was the point…" the man, 'affectionately' called "J", said to himself softly, before he grabbed his bow and his quiver of arrows.

Perhaps he never would have agreed to that damn pact had he known what kind of a loony the solar demon had been. Then again, there were times when it was very handy to have him around. Eclipse's poison was one thing.

Though it couldn't rival the poison the Emperor could whip up, it did the trick every time. There was no known antidote for it, and it left enemies weak in body and spirit. Not to mention they could be sick to the stomach for months, making them grow weaker and weaker even if they managed to escape.

It didn't happen often that they escaped, but it happened, nonetheless.

Reaching up to his forehead, he ran his thumb over the markings there before he grabbed his helmet and pushed it back on his head. His senses had become extremely dulled because of the pact, with the exception being his hearing and his sight. Not that it really mattered to him.

Just then, the massive bird spread its wings and raised its mighty head, letting out a keening war cry that instantly awakened all those that had been slumbering moments before. They all knew that that was the sign they had waited for; had heard it numerous times before out on the battlefield, and knew damn well whose orders the bird represented.

And even as the Nation soldiers rushed toward the town, the horde of demons that had gone ahead of them had already left and were doing their part of the job.

* * *

Verse 6

Nowe shot up instantly. He could feel the shift in the air and knew that there was trouble. Getting to his feet, he grabbed his sword and left the room. Right then, he was glad he fell asleep behind his desk. It saved him the trouble of having to dress.

Running through the hall, he walked into Lynn's room, only to realize she was already up. Not just up, though; she was also standing over the corpse of some kind of monster Nowe had never before seen, but he could hazard a guess from whence they had come. Lynn's swords were held loosely in her hands, arms held out in front of her to offer a little protection, before she noticed Nowe.

"Wha… what's going on…?" she asked, her breathing labored, probably from the poison, still.

Nowe ignored the fact that she was standing and shook his head. "I don't know, but we have to leave. Now."

Nodding, Lynn grabbed her bag and hurried after him, trying not to stumble too much as they hurried away. Outside, they could hear the Knights of the Seal that had been protecting the village scream in horror as the monsters rent them asunder.

Nowe wished he could help, but he was already in trouble with the Nation. In fact, he was already a wanted man with them. And he suspected the reason they were here was either for him or for Lynn. He wasn't going to ask what she did, but it must've been something very bad.

Running as fast as they could, both Nowe and Lynn made a mad dash for the far exit, hoping they hadn't gotten there yet. Of course, that was like wishing for the impossible. Still, they managed to get through relatively unscathed.

That is, until…

Nowe stopped instantly, pulling Lynn to a stop when a volley of razor sharp needles was drilled into the ground where they would've been had they continued to run. Though Nowe frowned in confusion, when an eerie laugh rang through the air, Lynn tensed instantly. Whipping his gaze up, Nowe instantly saw what had the girl so scared.

* * *

Eclipse chortled as he looked down upon the duo. Though the girl seemed to remember him well, the man that was with her didn't know whom he was. Yet.

"Didn't I tell ya?" he said simply, grinning widely when the girl slowly backed off, holding up her swords in a pathetic attempt to protect herself. "Ya ain't goin' nowheres!" Before either could move, the furred collar around his neck seemed to expand, forming a mass of eerie needles. And mere seconds, if not less, after that, the needles were launched right at them both, forcing them back, even as he jumped down and lunged with a manic cackle.

The man jumped in front of the girl and blocked-actually BLOCKED-his scimitar when it came down to slice him to bits. That didn't happen often; the only ones having managed being other demons or others with a pact.

"Heheheh. Not bad," he laughed, before he lunged with both scimitars, giving the guy some serious trouble. But Eclipse was surprised the guy could actually keep up for so long. That was a rarity indeed.

But then the guy managed to find an opening and shoved his sword through his gut.

* * *

Lynn could only stare in amazement when Nowe shoved his sword through the demon, before relief washed over her. She had NOT wanted a repeat of last time with that demon; she'd _never_ be able to match that thing's strength.

But her relief instantly vanished and horror replaced it when the demon burst apart into a poof of smoke. Nowe blinked in surprise, choking on the smoke. "What the heck?"

A sudden sound from behind her made her turn quickly - and then she screamed in agony when what felt like hundreds of needles tore through her skin, the force sending her flying before she smashed backfirst into the ground.

"Madelynn!" she heard Nowe shout out, but she couldn't hear, or feel, anything else as the world began to fade away into darkness.

* * *

Nowe choked when Lynn fell to the ground, and was about to rush for her, but that demon was suddenly there, one hand on its mask and an evil grin on its face. "Nun-a that!" it said, and moved the mask away.

The brunette's eyes instantly widened in horror at what the demon hid beneath that mask, before it suddenly reared back, inhaling briefly, before it keeled forward, mouth opening to its full extent and firing a beam of energy straight toward Nowe. He managed to dive aside, but couldn't avoid it completely and screamed in pain when the blast tore open his side, making him drop in agony, gripping his side with one hand.

'D-dammit!'

Glaring in rage, Nowe pushed himself up, but there was nothing he could do as the demon picked up Lynn. "Hehehe. Well, have a good time! Toodles!"

And with that, the demon bounded off faster than Nowe could follow. Nowe glared in anger.

"No! You bastard!" Nowe shouted, even as his pupils contracted and formed a set of vertical slits. Rushing forward, completely ignoring the pain in his side, Nowe pushed off and took to the air even as the Nation's dragons surrounded him. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he shouted, lashing out with his sword and launching numerous waves of energy at them, making several of them yowl and allowing Nowe to pass.

But he had already lost sight of the demon.

Snarling dangerously, Nowe tried to think logically. 'They wouldn't bring her to the same place twice! I have to find her before she's killed! …or worse.'

Though Angelina was his main goal, Madelynn came a close second. And now that he had found one of the two, he was NOT going to let the Nation get away with her!


	18. Chapter 17: Demon Child

For those who are interested, it _is_ possible for a statue to lose some of its features if it is carved out of stone. I don't think marble statues have the same problem, but who knows? Oh, and I'm not the only one who disliked those damned red soldiers, am I?

And _no_, the chapter title isn't referring to Lina.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 17: Demon Child**

Verse 1

A soft whimper echoed off of the smooth marble, as the small bundle of flesh shuddered from the extreme cold, even with the blanket slung around its wiry frame. Breath came out as small clouds of condensation, and teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Mom… dad… where are you? Why haven't you come back…?"

* * *

Verse 2

Silence met them as the small group of soldiers arrived at what Irei claimed to be a temple that housed one of the seals protecting the world. Lina frowned as she ascended the small staircase that rested before the entrance, sword in hand. Isaac was not far behind with Irei.

"…_This_ is a temple…?" Isaac asked softly. "Is it… supposed to look this way?"

He had a good reason to ask; the building they stood in front of was not only deserted, but also very close to breaking apart. The stones were cracked and many of the statues situated outside were either completely broken, or had lost their faces because of the weather. And Lina was sure that, had this been anywhere else, the place would be crawling with undergrowth. And perhaps a rat or two.

"The outside is not protected from the elements of nature… The shields that protected it eons ago have long since faded away…" Irei said solemnly.

The dragon studied the temple for a moment, before he said: "To hide a seal here would be a wise move. Only few would bother with such a rundown place…"

Lina nodded. She could understand that… She knew that she would have never bothered with this place unless they needed shelter real quick. Still, just by standing there, she could tell that something important was in this place.

**Are you going in?**

_Dumb question, dragon. Dumb question…_

**You're right… sorry I asked.**

Stepping forward, Lina took a moment longer to examine the entrance, before stepping inside.

**I cannot follow inside… Watch your back.**

_As long as you watch yours._

Isaac watched Lina go, before following the woman inside, while Irei and the silver dragon remained outside to guard the entrance along with the Union soldiers, to stop all those who wished to go in, or out.

* * *

Verse 3

Slowly, a pair of dark blue eyes opened, blinking to try and get the ice off their lashes. Looking around while trying not to move too much, they tried to understand what had changed. Because something _had_, but they couldn't tell what.

They knew they had to go and see what was happening… but they were just too cold to move.

The blanket barely helped, but it was better than nothing. As they tried to stay as still as possible, they wondered if their parents had come back. But the last time they had dared to check, they had almost been killed. That was a risk they weren't too willing to take again.

When they heard movement outside, they realized _they_ had returned. Though they wished to stay still, the memory from last time was still fresh in their mind and this made them climb to their feet and hurry out while they still could. Of course, they held on tight to the blanket that had been wrapped around them as they did.

'Mom… dad… please come back…'

* * *

Verse 4

If the outside was a complete ruin, the inside was the complete opposite. If anything, it seemed like it had been extremely well kept over the years since it had been built. Everything seemed to be made of marble, and the statues were all beautiful women, none of them ever the same. Some stood regally and were dressed in fine robes, others were a little less refined. But the one thing they all had were the markings across their bodies, all in the exact same pattern.

"These must be the Goddesses from past generations… there're so many of them…"

Lina did not say anything to Isaac's comment, looking around for any irregularities. It wasn't much later that she found it.

The dust on the floor had been disturbed. Almost everything was covered in dust, except for the path leading deeper into the temple. Slowly, a grin spread across her face, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of battle. That is, until-

A sudden ripple washed over her and she gasped, at the exact same time as Isaac. "…Did you hear that?"

Lina nodded. She knew what that meant. 'Another with a pact… in a place like this?'

Adjusting the grip on her sword, Lina nodded and gestured up ahead. Isaac nodded and followed wordlessly, unsheathing his own sword as he did.

* * *

Verse 5

At first, the place had been empty, but the deeper in they came, the more and more soldiers they encountered. They were everywhere. However, that wasn't necessarily a problem. A group of ten soldiers had already been reduced to one in a little over a heartbeat. The remaining soldier stared for a moment too long, and soon choked on his own blood when two swords were simultaneously shoved through his gut.

The blood coated the floor and even more when Lina kicked the dying soldier off the two swords before shoving her sword through the crack of the helmet, turning "dying" into "dead". Isaac would have commented usually, but decided better of it and simply focused on the new wave of soldiers that had appeared from around the corner.

Lina chuckled softly, and Isaac merely flexed his hands around the hilt of his blade, before both lunged forward.

Lina's strikes were swift and merciless with no signs of hesitation. Diving aside from any incoming blows, retaliation was always swift to follow with a quick flick of her wrists that caused the blade to arch around and embed itself into the offending soldier. Either that, or chop off a limb or two.

Isaac's swings with his blade, though well-aimed, usually dealt a swift and relatively painless death, contrary to Lina who killed slowly and painfully. Though there was no hesitation, it was clear the blood disturbed him, if only slightly. Though not as experienced as Lina, he could easily hold his own.

Despite them making quick work of this, there were still enough soldiers to be a burden. Lina focused quickly, and then unleashed several bolts of fire at the group - and was rewarded with a glob of green acid that she just managed to keep away from her face by bringing up her arm. Still, the acid almost burned right through her gauntlet. 'What the heck!'

Though the soldiers before her had been burnt to ash by the flames, the red-armored soldiers that now stood before her seemed relatively unharmed. Surprise gave way to realization when a voice seemed to echo in her head. "The red soldiers… they are protected from magic!"

_Do not use magic against the red soldiers!_ she called out to both her pact partner and to Isaac, knowing the former would need it for later as well and that the latter would appreciate the warning.

**Understood. Having trouble?**

_Nothing I can't handle._

Isaac was already on top of the red soldiers, providing a decent distraction for Lina to get behind them and slice them to ribbons in minutes. They were a bit harder to deal with, however, as the armor didn't give away as easily as the standard silver-colored armor. Probably different materials, but Lina didn't stop to think about it.

Once those were dealt with, they rushed on ahead, swords already dripping with blood from the enemies they'd slain.

The ripples of contact flittered through their heads at that time, and were growing weaker.

"We have to hurry!" Isaac called out desperately, but Lina couldn't be bothered to care.

Another pact ally would be a good thing, but was it really worth the trouble? Probably not. If she could help it, she'd rather do this all on her own. But the funny thing is, a war cannot be fought with just one or two people.

And so, Lina resigned herself to fighting alongside others instead of going alone.

* * *

Verse 6

They were right there. Talking about some sort of seal, and arguing about how it should be there but wasn't. Why didn't they just leave if it really wasn't there? Whatever _it_ was. What was that 'seal' anyway? It might even be something familiar, but…

The silent, small figure hiding in the shadows shivered from the cold. They had a feeling that those people would hurt them once they had served the purpose of telling _them_ where they had to go. That was why they staid hidden.

But then a voice from behind them made them tense. "You there! What are you doing here?"

* * *

Verse 7

The stairs going down, though long, were descended in seconds flat, rapid but steady footsteps almost eating away at the steps before Lina was at the bottom, running a short distance before she managed to stop herself. Why waste time going slow with stairs, eh? Isaac took his time, arriving a little after her.

"Must you go so fast?" he asked, panting a little. Did this guy have no stamina at all? Esh…

Just then, a ripple of panic rushed through their minds and Lina froze. Though it came from someone else, it was a sort of panic she recognized instantly, one she had been intimately familiar with for the first few years of her life. A primal panic that stemmed from when you're driven into a corner by a predator with no way out, where death is already staring you in the face and you're given no other option but to surrender.

Before Isaac could even as much as blink, the demon inside of Lina roared its displeasure and rage, and without being rightfully aware of it, she was rushing through the hallway toward the source of the panic. Isaac shouted after her before following, but she ignored his cries.

She could pick up some of the soldiers talking up ahead, and it only seemed to fuel her rage.

One of them had remained within the doorway of the room. And that would be a mistake he wouldn't live to regret. As he bellowed out an order, Lina brought up her sword and allowed a cold grin, seconds before the blade sunk through the armor and then pierced through bone, flesh, and anything else it happened to come across. The sound that came from the soldier gargling on blood made her grin that much wider and more demonic.

With one strong arch, the dissected soldier dropped to the ground, blood coating the marble of the floor a dark red, almost black. The remaining soldiers, all clustered together around a single huddling pile of flesh hidden under a blanket, turned to stare in shock, before rage entered their burning red eyes and they lunged for her.

Yet another mistake that they, too, would not live to regret.

She rolled out of the way of the first hit and countered wit a horizontal slice that tore through a soldier's side and struck a second to his chest, tearing a good chunk of flesh out as she pulled back. Lina jumped up to avoid a slash aimed at her legs, then pulled her arms back over her head and sliced down, ripping the offending soldier in two down to the waist, which was where her sword was stopped.

Not bothering for an instant, she brought up a foot and kicked him away before focusing her attention on those still alive. With a roar, she lashed out at the air in front of her, the shockwave it created sending them flying backward and skidding across the ground, neatly missing the small pile still lying there.

It was at that point that Isaac came in. Though surprised at the damage, he wasted no time.

The first soldier to stand up had his head severed from his torso by Isaac. The second was chopped into three segments by a quick combo coming from Lina. The third found his heart pierced by a blade surrounded by flames controlled by Isaac. The fourth was set ablaze by a well-timed fire attack that Lina had unleashed.

The last two, though they had seen their comrades die in a matter of seconds, didn't back down, for which Lina had to commend them both. Not that it would do them any good.

Within a moment's notice, the two sides were right on top of each other, but the results were already decided before it had even begun.

And only once the final soldier fell did the demon begin to quiet.

* * *

Verse 8

The once gorgeous marble was now stained black and red, corpses littering the floor as the victors surveyed the scene, one with disinterest, the other with slight disgust. Their blades were dripping with blood, the few remaining droplets hitting the ground and creating small puddles of liquid.

An audible shudder made them turn to the small heap resting in the center of the room, the only spot seemingly unscathed by the carnage. And still the panic washed off of it in waves that would have been tangible even to those without pact beasts. Isaac was about to run toward it, but stopped short when a bloodied blade blocked his path.

Isaac looked at Lina curiously, but the woman only looked at him from the corner of her eyes, and then shook her head once.

Lowering her sword, she slowly took careful steps forward, setting her feet down a little harder than usual to make enough sound to be fairly audible. At the same time, she summoned up her thoughts to create feelings instead of actual words, transmitting it to whoever was huddling there under that sorry excuse for a blanket.

It was something she had never tried, but she did her best to get the kid-she knew that much-at ease with them. And it seemed to work as the shuddering became less and less until it had stopped completely.

Stopping just beside it, she then crouched and brought forth one hand, slowly, reaching for the blanket at the area where she believed the child's head to be. Carefully, her fingers grabbed hold of the blanket, just resting there for a moment more, before lifting the cloth away.

A set of frightened dark blue eyes gazed back at her from underneath, but the kid didn't run, her mind still sending him the solemn emotions that told him she wasn't going to hurt him.

He was older than she had initially thought; around the age of 15, maybe 16 at the most but surely no older. Dark black, silken hair covered the top of his head, seeming to shine in what little light there was. His entire body was adorned with pitch-black markings, forming an intricate pattern that could probably succeed in giving anyone a headache just by looking at them.

The strange thing about him, though… he was dressed only in a pair of black pants that barely touched his knees and clung to his legs like a second skin and a pair of shoes she had never before seen in her life. None of her emotions showed on her face as she looked the boy over, taking in his wiry frame and the paleness of his skin. How long had he been in this place?

* * *

Verse 9

He shuddered and shook, trying not to attract any more attention when he was finally left alone, blanket flung over him like a protective cocoon as he curled up pathetically. The screams that followed scared him, and he was even less tempted to run now. He had a feeling he wouldn't get very far.

When it finally stopped, he still remained, not wanting to draw attention to himself. But when he heard someone approach, he was sure he was going to die…

And then something trickled at his mind. Curious, he waited for what would happen and was a little surprised when a strange feeling of calm overcame him, shoving away his fears and panic as if it was nothing.

Then he felt a presence right next to him, and he nearly panicked again, until he realized the strange calm was coming from whoever was there. Though instinct told him to run, a different part of his mind (or maybe it were those feelings) overrode that instinct and made him stay put.

When fingers curled into the blanket above his head, he might have tensed, but otherwise he didn't move. There was a pause then, and he tried to control his breathing, before the blanket was lifted from his head.

He blinked a little at the invasion of light, and then focused on the person sitting next to him, and had to suppress a small gasp.

Despite the armor and blood that coated her, she was, in his eyes, gorgeous. Dark blue eyes, lighter than his own but still dark, regarded him curiously, locks of fiery red framing her face, with two thick orange highlights running through her hair. There was something about her that screamed at him, but in a language he couldn't understand nor make out the words of.

And then a voice echoed in his head, one he didn't recognize, but realized to be hers.

_Who are you?_

He blinked, once. He then tried to work his voice, but found himself coughing harshly, his body shuddering against his will and curling up in itself. He was briefly aware of an arm wrapping around him as he was pulled up to his knees before he was picked up off of the ground. After that, his mind slipped into darkness as warmth seeped in through his skin.

* * *

Verse 10

Isaac watched in amazement as Lina stood back up with the child balanced in one arm, her hand under his knees with his head resting against her neck. If he hadn't just witnessed it, he would have never expected Lina to be capable of such tenderness as she had displayed a mere moment before. But he had a feeling she'd kill him if he ever uttered a word about it.

And one glare from said woman confirmed his suspicion.

Keeping the boy close to her, even as a small cough sounded from the unconscious youth's throat, she surveyed the room once more. _Where is that seal?_ she wondered softly.

Isaac shook his head, silently admitting he didn't know, but his attention was on the boy she held.

Then he remembered something.

"Lina." When she looked up, he continued. "I think I know who he is." A simple inclination of her head told him to spit it out. "He's a demon."

He could read the surprise in her eyes, and he'd kind of expected it.

"At least… everyone claimed him to be one. He came to our village one day, crying for his parents while tending to a wound on his side. I don't know why… but the other villagers seemed, well, afraid of him. Probably because of that spike coming from his neck." Lina blinked, then curiously looked around the boy's head, as if she hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Anyway, they turned him away, but my wife gave him that blanket. It was all we could give him." Isaac sighed softly at the memory of his wife, but pushed it aside. "Being foreigners, we weren't that easily frightened, so his apparel didn't phase us." Running a hand through his hair, he said: "I suppose no one stopped to think this might have been the cause of his pact to… well, whatever his pact beast was."

Lina watched him for a moment longer, before looking down at the unconscious boy. _A demon child, eh?_ she asked, and Isaac was shocked to see a grin spread over her face.

'Guess that makes two of us, eh kid?'

* * *

**NOTICE: **The kid doesn't have a name yet. –GASP– Can't leave it be like that, ne? Sadly, I'm a little out of good ideas, and thus, I'm open to suggestions for what to name him.


	19. Chapter 18: Cold

Well, seems someone has already figured out where the kid originally comes from. XD And the answer is yes.

Anyway, I got a whole list of names and STILL had troubles. Anyway, my brother suddenly came with a name that made me wonder… When he _finally_ explained his reasoning…well. I might explain unless someone can figure it out before the end of the story.

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**Chapter 18: Cold**

Verse 1

As much as they searched, neither could find hide or hair of the seal that was supposed to be there. Lina could _feel_ its presence, but she couldn't understand where it was. Isaac was having as much trouble as she was. No matter where they went, it was as if they were constantly going in circles. It was still easy to find a way back, but getting further in was all the more difficult.

'Dammit, at this rate we'll never find-wait a minute…' Stopping in her tracks, Lina considered the thought that had popped into her head. 'Of course… That would explain it.'

_Isaac, we're leaving!_

Isaac stopped and turned in surprise. "What? But what about the seal?"

_We'll never find it BECAUSE we're looking for it. This entire temple is enchanted and prevents anyone from reaching the seal as long as they're actually looking for it._

Blinking, Isaac only stared. "How do you know that?"

_I just do._ was the only response he got, as Lina adjusted her hold on the boy she still held, before she spun around and headed back the way they had come. Though Isaac wanted to retort, he thought better of it and hurried on after her.

* * *

Verse 2

Getting out took them less than 15 minutes, and neither were really surprised at the carnage that awaited them outside. Eris was safe despite the battle that had taken place. In fact, she seemed to have jumped in at one point, as she was still holding onto her spear tightly. Lina had no objections against this. She wasn't about to deny that Eris could fight. She had first-hand experience with her fighting skills.

Looking around, Lina was glad to know that there were no more living Nation soldiers around. There were other things that needed to be looked after.

When they approached, one of the soldiers looked up and hurried over.

"Milady, all Nation soldiers that appeared have been dealt with. Those that tried to escape didn't get far," he said with a quick salute.

Isaac allowed a smile. "Good… at least the Goddess is safe."

"What of the seal? Is it safe as well?" the man asked, not realizing Lina had already been relaying the info to the silver dragon. He nodded to show he understood.

"The seal will remain safe until the spell guarding it is broken. Chances of that happening to such an ancient spell is very unlikely." That was the good thing about ancient spells; they were so outdated that there was hardly anyone alive who could actually counter them. So the seal would be safe, at least for a little while.

Only when the boy in Lina's arm shuddered did the soldier seem to fully take notice of him. "Huh? Um… Lady Lina, where did you…?"

Lina ignored the question and headed straight toward where Eris was standing, watching the soldiers help some of their injured comrades. But before she could jump in to help, Lina grabbed her by her shoulder.

Eris yelped, but turned around to ask what was wrong. However, she didn't ask in the end when she saw the boy Lina was holding. She gasped and reached for him, placing a hand on his forehead. "He's freezing… good god… poor child."

Lina didn't move other than watching Eris take the boy's temperature. Eris didn't even seem to care about the markings, indicating that the boy had a pact with something, or about the spike that came from the back of his neck. "We have to warm him before he dies of the cold!" Eris finally said, and then she shouted for a few uninjured soldiers to get a bath filled with water and have it warmed, immediately.

Lina made no objections to Eris ordering them around. And Eris actually seemed to enjoy bossing them around.

* * *

Verse 3

As the water warmed above a small fire, one that could be easily extinguished once the desired temperature was reached, Eris struggled with another problem concerning the child; namely, getting rid of the child's clothes. His pants would be easy, but it was the shoes that posed the biggest problem.

For one, they were secured with thin strings that were still thick enough to keep them secured around his feet. Or actually, around his ankles. No matter how she pulled, the shoes would not come off. It was too small around the ankles to allow his foot to slip out. And by then, she was just about ready to cuss up a storm, despite being the Goddess. Some habits were a little hard to break, after all.

"How does one even get _into_ shoes like this?" she grumbled to herself. Turning to the knot in the string, she thought it over, before she reached for it and tugged on one of the loose ends - and was surprised when the knot simply fell apart.

Eris blinked, as she undid the knot and managed to pull the shoe open a little more, which allowed her to slip it off the boy's foot with ease. "Ah."

Now that she knew how that worked, she undid his other shoe and pulled it off, followed shortly by his socks. She debated about the pants, but in the end decided it wouldn't be that much of a problem, and instead went to check on the water. Testing it with the inside of her wrist, she gauged the warmth, before she nodded and quickly doused the fire beneath it.

Moving over to the boy, Eris rolled up her sleeves and managed to pull the boy to his feet. Though not as strong as many of the soldiers of the Union, she was still stronger than your everyday woman, and thus capable of actually moving the boy.

Getting him in the tub took a bit more trouble, mainly because he started to whimper and tried to move away at the sudden change in temperature. She got him in the tub in the end, and waited for him to get used to the water before grabbing a washcloth to wash his face. The markings all over his body didn't really bother Eris that much, but it made her wonder what his price was. Marks of a pact tended to be placed over what you gave up, working as a sort of lock to stop just that.

What had he given up?

Deciding not to linger on it, she refocused on the boy's face… and paused.

Cocking her head so she could see his profile, she frowned softly. She had a feeling she'd seen someone just like him somewhere before, but it wouldn't come to her. Mentally removing the marks from his face, she tried to see if that actually helped, but no luck.

With a firm shake of her head, Eris shook the thought away and refocused on the task at hand.

* * *

Verse 4

While Eris was handling the boy, Lina had taken the small break in activity to clean up herself. She didn't actually mind being drenched in blood, but after a while, the scent would drive anyone mad, even her. And it'd be a bother to get it out when it began to clot.

**Why did you take that child with you?**

Lina snorted, taking her time answering as she removed a very stubborn stain on her armor. _Should I have just left him there?_ she asked finally.

**Let me put it this way; why take the trouble of getting him out?**

The redhead rolled her eyes. _I'm a soldier, not a murderer. There's a difference._

**Is there?**

_Yes, there is. 'Sides, he's just a child._

The dragon waited for what else she had to say, but nothing came. He waited a little while longer, before asking: **And?**

_And WHAT? Should there be anything else?_

He merely snorted. **With you, I'll never know.**

_Oh shut up._

The dragon merely chuckled, and continued to watch as Lina washed off the stains from her armor.

* * *

Verse 5

Grumbling softly, she blinked her eyes open… and found herself looking up at a burning red sky. A sudden shiver of terror she couldn't explain ran through her body and she shot up to her feet. She recognized where she was easily, but things were so much different now.

The soldiers were mostly gone, many of them eaten by whatever came by, and everywhere around her she heard screams and cries, turning the world into a hell. Suddenly she felt like a child all over again; specifically when she had first stood on these very grounds hidden within the back of her mind.

And then there was a hand on her shoulder.

A yowl/roar slipped from her mouth as she spun and swung out her sword - only to have her wrist caught, easily. And without looking, she knew who it was.

She spoke before she remembered that she didn't even have her own voice anymore.

But he merely smirked a little, probably catching the déjà vu in the situation, before he let go of her wrist. Just as he did, a roar echoed from the distance, making them whip around in slight surprise. A wave of terror washed over her, as she stumbled back, but he had stepped behind her and held her close, as if trying to protect her from what was coming.

Whatever that was…

For a reason she couldn't explain, this red sky… scared her.

She hadn't been this frightened in years, but she knew deep down that it was well justified. Just not why.

The sky looked to be stained red with blood, and though the sight of it wouldn't frighten her, what was splayed out before her now did. But she couldn't understand just _why_. Couldn't understand just why this was so much different from before.

And then a sudden gust of wind nearly knocked them both over, and they were forced to lean forward to avoid being blown away. Forcing open her eyes, she tried to make out what was happening, but the fierce winds robbed her sight from her.

A scream suddenly echoed through her head, though it sounded by far more like a roar. Someone screamed in rage, but also… loneliness.

Turning her face up, she squinted up, trying to see anything, but still unable to do so.

Just then, the ground quaked and almost sent her to the ground, but he held on to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her along before she could object. Not that she was about to; she trusted him. And she knew that they had to run or they'd never make it out, even if she wasn't sure how she knew or just where they were.

He continued to lead her god knows where, and she did everything she could to keep up.

But then pain shot up her legs and caused her to stumble, then fall, her hand slipping from his grasp. He stopped as soon as he realized this and turned to face her as she struggled to rise. She tried to stand, but her legs would not work and her back was on fire. And then a scream tore from her throat when white-hot pain tore across her back, but the scream soon shifted into a furious roar.

He rushed for her, but she barely noticed, only aware of the sheer agony coming from her back that almost ruptured her spine. Or so it felt.

And then she was screaming.

"DAMN YOU VERDELET! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU! DAMN YOU!"

* * *

Verse 6

Lina choked as she shot awake, sweat pouring down her face in rivulets. Panting for breath, she tried to calm down, keeping one hand to her head while she tried to do so. The pain was fading from the back of her mind, but the memory would not.

**You going to make a habit out of this?**

_Shut up. I don't decide what I dream, dammit._

The dragon only snorted. Lina ignored him and just took a deep breath to try and calm her raging heart. …no, wait. It wasn't hers now, was it? Was that how he constantly knew she was having a bad dream? It was possible, but she knew damn well she wouldn't get an answer out of him. Not on her life…

But there was _something_ she wanted answers to.

_What does a red sky mean?_

The dragon gave a small sound that, for humans, would've meant: "Eh?"

_The sky was red… like it had been drenched in blood…_

He was silent, then answered solemnly: **It means the Goddess Seal was broken.**

_Broken? How?_

**By killing the Goddess, how else?**

_…Isn't there a way around that?_

**No.**

After that, she was silent. Her breathing had evened again, and not even a tingle of a memory remained of the pain in her back. Leaning back, she shut her eyes to try sleep once more…

**That brat wants to see you.**

_…huh?_

Blinking her eyes open, Lina looked up as the dragon raised his wing enough to let the boy under, lowering it immediately to keep most of the cold out. To say that Lina was a bit surprised would be an understatement. The kid shouldn't even be walking around, but here he was, clinging to the blanket Lina recognized as the one Eris had placed over him earlier that day.

And by how he was shivering, it was clear he was _still_ freezing cold.

Rolling her eyes, Lina half pushed herself up, but before she could stand completely, she grabbed the front of the blanket and dropped down, dragging the boy down with her. Of course the boy yowled in surprise, but Lina didn't bother and just held him right up against her. Her armor blocked out the cold of his body, though she could still feel it through the gloves on her hands, though only a little.

The boy struggled briefly, but Lina tightened her hold enough for it to be painful, which made him stop instantly.

_Shouldn't have come out here…_ she mumbled grumpily. _Whatever you want to say, wait until morning._

He seemed to hesitate, then nodded once and closed his eyes.

**I hope you don't plan on making a habit out of _this_.**

Lina glanced over to the dragon from the corner of her eyes. _Why's that?_

**You'll never get warm. That kid gave up his body heat.**

At that, Lina blinked. Looking at the boy, she realized it made sense. Though his skin had warmed briefly after Eris had bathed him, it hadn't taken long for it to be freezing cold again. At first, they had blamed the weather, but if he really had given up his body heat, it made sense.

Still…

_Since when do you care?_

**I don't intend to die just because you insist on dying in this cold.**

_Oh so it has nothing to do with him hogging all my attention?_

**Don't flatter yourself.**

_Yeah, whatever… good night._

The dragon didn't respond. Safe for a sleepy snort.

* * *

Verse 7

Morning came quickly the next day. As the Union woke, many began packing once they were more than half-awake. They all knew that they had to move before the Empire came back. Destroying a single seal wouldn't be that much of a loss. It'd be a much greater one if the Goddess was killed while they tried to protect both seals.

Eris yawned as she stepped out of the tent, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she looked around the camp. Lina was already up (she'd expected that one) overseeing everything, while Isaac climbed on Irei and headed off to scout the premises of the temple and the camp one last time.

After getting something to eat, she spotted the boy Lina had brought to her the other day. He was sitting with a bowl of his own near the fire, dressed up in the clothes she had given him when he woke yesterday, cloak wrapped tightly around himself. Taking small bites, he seemed a little fidgety. And a bit afraid something would come out and eat him.

Smiling, Eris sat down beside him and said soothingly: "No one is going to hurt you here."

He looked up curiously, and she smiled. Turning away, he focused on his food again, before he whispered: "Thank you…" though with a bit of a strange accent she couldn't place.

Just then, Lina sat down opposite of the two, barely giving them a glance. Eris smiled and said: "Morning Lina."

Lina looked up briefly and grunted once, before she began eating. Blinking, Eris suddenly turned to the boy. "Speaking of, what's your name, kid?"

The boy winced a little, before he bit his lip. "Se… Seul."

"Seul…" Eris repeated softly, before she smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Seul. I'm Eris, and this is Lina." Said woman didn't even bother to respond, but Eris hadn't expected her to. "I'll introduce you to Isaac and Irei later. Okay?"

Seul looked at her hesitantly, before a tiny smile formed. "…kay…"

* * *

"New ally gained: Seul"

"Weapon: Fists / -"

"Pact partner: ?"


	20. Chapter 19: Pain

Before you start with me; I'm not dropping this thing. Thing is, school's started plus I've got work so I'll be busy. So there might be big lapses in-between updates.

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* * *

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**Chapter 19: Pain**

Verse 1

She _tried _to move, but found that she could barely even feel her own body. What had happened? She couldn't remember too well. She had been on the run from something… but what? And why? Ugh, why was her head so foggy?

She whimpered as she tried once more to move, but found that she simply couldn't move an inch. It was both annoying and painful. The stress she was putting on her muscles with the order to move made them ache and burn, forcing her to stop trying.

Where was she…?

"I told you…" Upon hearing that voice, her entire body tensed in sheer fright. "Naughty children… _must_ be punished…"

She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't work. She knew she had heard that voice before… but from where? Why couldn't she remember?

And then she couldn't even think as _pain_ ripped through her body. She couldn't feel her body, but she damn well felt _that_! It wasn't just a pain that ate away at your body, but also at your very soul. The agony was making her want to scream, but she couldn't even work up her voice and all she could do was twitch her fingers and attempt to endure it.

The latter was either going to be very difficult… or downright impossible…

* * *

Verse 2

The silence in the room was calming, and allowed him to regain _some_ peace of mind. For the moment, at least. Though complete silence would have been better, the sounds coming from the other side of the room barely bothered him, even when there was a sick slurping sound. Though many would have been disgusted at this, all he said was: "Must you do that?"

"Ey I'm hungry!"

He merely snorted at his partner's remark. "Then eat quietly." No response. Not that he'd expected one.

However, after a moment… "So any idea what Bossman's gonna do 'bout Morrie?"

"…'Morrie'…? Oh, Morcion. What do you expect? The Emperor does not appreciate betrayal. Least of all of _his_ kin."

Eclipse chortled. "Heheh. Yeah, well I don't get why they're still alive anyway! And why d'we have ta work with 'em?"

He didn't look up as he said: "Sometimes it's better to fight fire with fire in a war."

"Bah. Still say it ain't necessary…"

* * *

Verse 3

What a fool he was… What made him think he could actually make a difference? How did he _ever_ get the damn idea that he was different from the others? He really was a fool…

The Emperor didn't accept two things; failure and betrayal. Failure could be overlooked if things worked out with the next mission. Betrayal could not… And it was something punished with the only fate worse than death; the Emperor's poison.

No chains bound him, nor was he nailed into the ground with spears, swords or even arrows. Only the poison in his blood kept him there. Even lying down hurt by far more than it should, and his body was already beginning to tear slowly. And he knew too well that moving would only make things worse, so he tried to move as little as possible.

He was going to die either way, and he didn't want to be in any more pain if it could be prevented.

Though he should have thought of that much earlier.

Just then, there was such a horrible pain tearing across his back that he let out a roar of sheer agony, and made the mistake of thrashing around to try and get rid of it. The pain only worsened, and had he been able to, he would've been crying because of it. And as much as he tried to ignore the pain, it only got worse.

He had never understood before why those poisoned would scream so badly, but now he wished he never had to find out. At least not like this…

Right then, all he wanted was to die.

* * *

Verse 4

With a small whimper, Lynn forced her eyes open, pain ripping through her at the single action. The pain almost made her wish she could die. But the problem was that she didn't _want_ to die. The prospect of actually dying… scared her.

And she knew she had to get out immediately.

Trying not to whimper, Lynn pushed herself up on shaking arms, using the wall for support as she somehow managed to stand. It hurt like hell and it only seemed to get more and more painful, but she had to get out. Just _had_ to!

"Try all you want…" She stopped dead at that voice. "You will _never_ get out… never…"

She looked around, then coughed harshly, eyes going wide when her blood splattered over the ground. She shuddered as the pain only seemed to increase with every tiny movement she made, and it took everything she had not to cry out.

"And it only gets worse, child… Much worse…"

Lynn couldn't stop the pained moan coming from her mouth, even as she stumbled through the room, searching for the way out, even as her skin began to burn painfully. Pain ripped through her but she was determined not to scream.

Until her skin tore on its own and she could no longer withhold the pain. She fell to the ground, screaming and crying in agony, her tears mingling with the blood that poured from a wound on her forehead.

"I told you… if you run… the punishment will only get so much worse…"

Lynn coughed again, blood spilling from her mouth. She couldn't even scream anymore, the pain had reached up to her voice, and even breathing was more painful than she would have liked. She could barely move, and everything just _hurt_.

Just what had they done to her?

Blinking through the pain, she could only just make out a figure standing over her, though all she could actually see was the black of his cloak.

"Stay still and you might have… roughly a day… Start moving… and I doubt you would make it past three hours…" That voice again… who _was_ he? "Now then… enjoy your stay… for however long you decide to make it…"

Then the presence was gone, as if he had never been there.

'Three hours…' Forcing herself back up, despite the pain, she knew she had to get out. 'I can't die here… I have to get out…'

With all her willpower, Lynn pushed herself up off the wall and began to follow it, searching for an exit. There had to be one. Just _had _to be.

Then, the wall suddenly disappeared under her hands and she fell with a gargled cry.

* * *

Verse 5

A gargled cry made him pry open one eye slowly. It was a sound he recognized; another one poisoned like he was. It seemed the Emperor has been busy these days. How many had he poisoned in the last few months, not including him?

Plenty, that's how many.

Maybe too many…

But who was he to complain? He didn't have that right anymore. He didn't think he ever had, in the first place.

'Should've listened to Ilfirin when I had the chance…'

He still remembered how Ilfirin had warned him; told him to stay away and hide. But he'd gone with his 'friends'. You know, the kind of friends that were only there when they needed you and dumped you as soon as you became a nuisance.

And right now, in the Nation's eye, he was a nuisance.

If he could go back and apologize to Ilfirin, would he be forgiven for his foolishness?

Probably not… Ilfirin never _was_ known to forgive. Besides, he brought this upon himself. He didn't deserve forgiveness.

Just then, he heard a pained whine coming from up ahead, and he tried to look without turning his head. If that was the one he had heard earlier, they were _really_ stupid to be walking around. Surely they'd figured out by now that moving only made matters worse, right?

And when they entered, he knew they had, and yet they kept walking. Well… stumbling. But still…

* * *

Verse 6

Lynn whimpered as she gripped the stones of the wall, her skin tearing and blood beginning to flow in rivulets down her body. But even that was no match to the pain that burned through every fiber of her being. If she didn't know any better, she'd say her bones were on the verge of breaking in two. All of them!

Just then, she caught movement from the corner of her eye, making her turn her head in agony. All she saw was a black blur, and she frowned darkly, shuffling over. Or trying, at least. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a choked scream as she felt, more than heard the sickening crack of her leg breaking as she fell to the ground.

What was _happening_ to her?

"So… you as well…" a raspy, choked up voice asked weakly. Lynn looked up despite the pain, trying her best not to cry, but not having much luck. "The Emperor… poisons his enemies… one with no antidote or reprieve…"

She couldn't stop whimpering at that. She had thought that demon's poison was bad… but it was nothing compared to the agony she was going through now. Then her whimpers turned into hacking as blood clogged her throat.

"Don't move… if you move, it only gets worse…"

A small shake of her head was all she could manage once the blood had gone from her mouth. "No… I… I don't want to die…" She paused to cough. "I can't… not now… I don't… I don't want to die…"

"Death is the only relief of all this… only then will it end…"

Lynn whimpered softly. "But… I don't… I-I…"

"…come here…"

Struggling not to whine at the pain, Lynn managed to crawl her way over, slowly, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Reaching out, she placed her hands on the 'black blur' and rested against it, feeling the heat of its body warm her skin.

"…I don't…"

"…in the end… no one does…"

She whimpered softly. "…but I… I have to… find _her_… have to… cough hack… find…"

"…who are you…?"

"…Lynn… you?"

"…Morcion…"

* * *

Verse 7

Stepping into the room, the man removed the hood of his cloak, shaking his head to get his hair out completely, before walking further into the room.

**Welcome back, Your Highness.**

He chuckled softly, turning to the large bird that sat there, smirking at him. "How many times must I ask you to stop calling me that?"

**You can ask as many times as you like and I'll just keep on doing it. Why waste your breath?**

"Touché." Sitting down, he shut his eyes and leaned back. "…Any signs of _her_?"

**None. After the attack, I have not seen hide nor hair of her. How goes the battle against the Union?**

When he growled, she already knew it wasn't going too well. "Horrible! Those damned fools can't even do something that simple right! Ch… the few that came back even had the nerve to complain about the Union's 'demon'. Pff. Yeah right…"

**…the few that came back?**

"Seems most of them perished while fighting this so-called 'demon'. Supposedly, it keeps on fighting even if it's fatally injured…"

**…There was once a man believed to be a demon. A man who single-handedly fought against onslaughts of soldiers of the former Empire.**

"…Caim…" the Emperor said icily, before he snorted. "Problem is; he's dead. Actually, that isn't even a problem. It makes everything so much easier…"

**Haven't you ever stopped to think his strength and determination will be passed on?**

"…"

The Emperor frowned and then he mumbled: "You've gotta be _kidding_ me!"

No sooner had he said that, or a quake rocked the entire dungeon, startling a good number of people, including him.

"What in blazes is going on!"

* * *

Verse 8

Even as the Emperor's words were uttered, a second burst of fire was launched through the hole that had been created, disintegrating all those who had tried to step in. And in the next instant, a sleek black dragon shot out of it, roaring for all to hear as it quickly managed to find its way out of the dungeons through sheer willpower alone.

However, it didn't stick around to watch, and took to the skies, disappearing from sight within an instant.

* * *

Once a safe distance away, he smirked. "You all right there?"

Lynn slowly pushed up and held her stomach. "I will be once my stomach settles… ugh…"

"You'll get used to it," Morcion said plainly. "At least we're out now…"

"Yeah…" Lynn allowed a relieved expression on her face.

She didn't even remember now who brought it up, but somewhere along the time they had been suffering the Emperor's poison together, they had come upon the subject of a pact. How and why, she had no clue, but if it got rid of the poison and gave them another chance, why throw it away just like that?

Looking down at the black dragon, she had to admit, it was a bit scary, at first, but she figured Morcion was right. After all, she'd probably be spending enough time on his back from now on, seeing as they _were_ partners, now.

"Whereto, Lynn?" he asked after a moment.

Lynn shook her head. "Northward. I… need to speak to the Goddess. She's apparently gone north to avoid the Nation."

Morcion snorted a little, but altered course just a bit. "Fine then… might as well. Not like we aren't already wanted by the Nation."

"I can deal without the sarcasm, thank you very much."

Though dealing with _each other_ might prove to be a bump in road for a while…

* * *

What? No ally file? Well, thing is; Lynn didn't actually join anyone. So technically, I can't make a "new ally" file for her just yet.


	21. Chapter 20: Devilish

I'm back. Miss me? About the 3 month delay… I got held up several times, then I got stuck at Verse 4, got held up again, got stuck at Verse 5, and after that, the days just seemed to be too short. Shortly put; I haven't been able to be creative lately…

Okay, anyway, I was asked the following: "Could you try to give Lina more weak points?" Well, I would… But I've already given her one. Lina herself is just not aware of it.

Ah, one more thing; I'm adding ONE more OC. Just ONE more… okay, two if you count his pact partner, but alright. Next chapter, alright? Maybe that'll get the juice in my head flowing again…

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* * *

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**Chapter 20: Devilish**

Verse 1

They were running out of time. Not to mention places to hide. There were only so many places you could hide an entire army, and even less when that army included a dragon, even if its coloration allowed it to blend in to its surroundings up north. So to say that things were going badly for the Union was an understatement.

Still, they continued onward, this time heading eastward. At that time, it was the only thing they could do. They couldn't go further north, because it would only get colder the further north they went. And it was cold enough for them all as it was.

While Lina and the dragon took to the skies again, Seul was allowed to ride on Irei's back with Isaac. The boy had barely spoken the entire time that they'd been underway, though he had hardly stopped shivering. He often looked up to where Lina and the dragon flew high above them, clearing the skies and scouting ahead at the same time.

"They'll be alright," Isaac said simply, making Seul look up curiously. Isaac only smiled and said: "You'll see. They'll be fine."

The younger boy didn't say a word about it, turning back to the road ahead.

* * *

Verse 2

Normally, Lina would've been shivering at the cold high in the skies, but now, she barely seemed to notice it. Perhaps she'd grown used to the cold, but whatever the reason was, it helped her to focus, at least. Last thing she needed was the cold to distract her.

But that didn't change the fact that they were running out of time.

**How long do you intend to run?**

Lina sighed. _Being on the move is better than staying put, dragon. At least when you're moving, chances of getting caught are smaller._

**You know I'm getting quite sick of you calling me "dragon". I have a name you know?**

_Well you don't call me by my name, either. So we're even. Besides, I don't even know your name._

**Hmph. And you probably never will.**

_Then what are you complaining about? Now let's focus, shall we? I could be wrong, but it looks like we've got company._

The dragon looked up and snorted when he saw the Gargoyle cubes that had appeared in their path. **These things seem to appear wherever we go…**

_Quit whining! Just move!_

**Fine fine…**

* * *

They were so used to fighting cubes by now, that it barely took them all that long to dispose of them all. The funny thing was that that was all that was waiting for them. And that was reason enough for suspicion.

**This can't be right… Something's wrong…**

Lina frowned, conceding the point on that, but not understanding why. But it didn't take her long to figure it out.

_Dammit! Get back to the others! This was a diversion!_

**What? GAWDFRICKIN'!**

Spinning on a dime, the silver dragon shot off, back to where the others were. And Lina hoped they'd make it in time, before…

* * *

Verse 3

Seul whimpered as he ducked his head against Irei's fur, shaking in fear even as Isaac swung out with his sword at any Nation soldier that came at them. No sooner had they lost sight of the silver dragon did the Nation suddenly spring upon them. And though the Union consisted of many trained soldiers, they were vastly outnumbered.

Plus, there was still Eris to protect, though he couldn't understand why.

Before he could try and figure it out, Isaac jumped off of Irei. "Irei! Get Seul away from here so he can be somewhere safe! Hurry!"

Irei gave a sharp nod and rushed off, leaving Isaac to help defend Eris. Seul watched Isaac from over his shoulder with a worried glint in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Isaac would even bother with attempting to protect Eris. Wasn't he afraid to die?

Seul was so focused on Isaac, that he almost tumbled off of Irei when she suddenly stopped and leapt in the exact opposite direction they had been going. And just in time to avoid a ball of fire that would have crushed them to bits.

"Catapults…" Irei growled. **Dragon! Be wary! The Nation is here with catapults!**

**)They are getting more and more annoying by the day!(** the silver dragon snarled, and she could almost hear him roar in rage from afar.

**I'll handle the catapults… Focus on protecting the Goddess.**

**)Whatever… just make sure we don't get killed here!(**

"Hold on child! This will be a rough ride!" Irei warned, before she lunged forward, barely giving Seul the chance to hold on. Though his cold grip sent shivers down her spine, she ignored it as best as she could, the white hairs on her back lighting up as the black markings turned blood red, and then expanded.

Then she let out a howl of rage, causing streams of blue energy to erupt from her fur. The tendrils tore through the snow around her, before wrapping themselves around one of the catapults. And in an instant, the tendrils turned into ice, completely immobilizing the catapult.

Seul choked on air. "I-ice?" he got out, before he yelped as Irei jumped up and away from a small group of soldiers. Letting out a bark of rage, Irei rushed for the nearest soldier and snapped her jaw shut around his neck, causing blood to stain her pristine coat red.

Ignoring Seul's whimpers, she continued tearing through the soldiers while at the same time attempting to escape so she could get the child away from this carnage.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, or she was suddenly struck by something from the side with such force it sent her flying with a surprised/pained yowl. Shaking her head from the landing, she looked up and snarled. "Ogres… Of all things…"

These giant monstrosities were almost 5 times bigger than an average human male, with hands the size of massive wooden beams that were used to bash anyone they ran across into mush. Still, their size also made them relatively slow, making them easy enough to deal with, even for her.

Had Seul not been one of her problems, that is.

When the child screamed, she whipped around to face him, growling when she saw that one of the soldiers had managed to get a hold him, twisting his arms behind his back so he couldn't get away.

Diving aside from the ogre's swing, Irei thought quickly. She couldn't handle that ogre and get to Seul at the same time. Hell, she knew if she'd try the latter, she'd be a sitting duck. The Nation now had a hostage, and they wouldn't be shy about using that chance, she knew.

But then Irei smirked and focused her attention on the ogre, realizing there was really no need to worry about the child.

* * *

Verse 4

Seul was just about ready to cry at the force applied to his arms. Any more and the bones would snap, he knew that much, and he couldn't do a thing about it. As much as he struggled against the hands holding him, he couldn't get out without risking his bones.

And then the soldier screamed and the grip on his arms vanished at the same time as a suspiciously warm liquid hit his back. But he wasn't given the time to think about it when he was suddenly picked up by an arm around his waist. And as he looked over his shoulder, he was surprised at whom he saw. "M-miss Lina?"

Lina's only reaction was a short glance at him, before she jumped back and out of range from the soldiers still coming after them. Snarling like a feral beast, Lina lunged forward, effortlessly managing to keep a steady grip on Seul while she was tearing through the soldiers.

But anyone having seen her fight before could see that she was unable to fight with all she had, since she clearly wouldn't risk the boy's life in any way. Lina, if subconsciously, kept shielding Seul from any attack aimed for him, which only resulted into pissing the demon inside of her off all the more. But she simply wasn't able to use that rage's full power.

Even Seul got the feeling that Lina wasn't going all-out, and he hardly knew her that well. Spinning out of the way of another attack, Lina only barely managed to block the next lash before she countered in an instant, leaving the soldier to bleed to death in the cold without a second glance.

And then she let out a roar of pain when an arrow was suddenly lodged in her shoulder. Snarling in fury, Lina whipped around and launched a single orb of fire at the archer, only grinning as he screamed when it hit his face. Of course, that caused him to inhale a big part of the fire, thus burning up his lungs and killing him in less than two seconds.

Since her hands were full, the arrow would have to wait, and Lina refocused on taking out anyone daring to get in her way. Which was going fine until another arrow lodged itself right into a nerve cluster in her left shoulder, rendering her entire arm useless. This caused her to drop Seul and yowl in sheer agony at the shot.

Reaching over and ripping the arrow out, she barely seemed to care as the blood began to flow before the cold caused it to freeze over the wound, effectively preventing it from infecting. But that was the last of her problems. Right now, all her blood-crazed mind was after was killing every last one of those bastards!

And Seul could do nothing but watch as she almost easily tore through the soldiers.

Even he could tell that she'd never last long like this. There was simply no way she could, especially with only one arm at her disposal.

Seul whimpered as he shut his eyes, trying not to cry…

But then he silenced and his panicked expression disappeared. And when his eyes slowly slid open, they were no longer dark blue, but a piercing golden yellow.

* * *

Verse 5

Jumping back from another soldier that tried to get to her, Lina snarled angrily. Fighting with one arm was proving to be a bit of a problem. And that was exactly why she hated archers; they never had to get close and made sure to stay the hell away from the close-ranged fighters. They had enough archers as well, but the amount the Nation had was downright annoying.

With a roar, Lina lashed out, the shockwave sending a number of the Nation soldiers flying. And right now, it wasn't just the archers that were getting annoying.

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, did a shadow pass over her, before a boulder nearly twice her height crushed several soldiers in a heartbeat. Of course, Lina blinked in surprise, before she turned her head to look at the source.

And who could really blame her for staring in utter surprise at Seul, who was still standing slightly crouched, in a way that indicated that _he_ had just thrown that piece of rock. But before she could begin to doubt it, Seul whipped around and slammed his fist into the face of a soldier that had sneaked up behind him.

His fist smashed the metal of the helmet, and by the resounding crack from underneath, Seul had clearly broken the man's nose as well. Allowing a tiny smirk at that, Lina watched as Seul coiled backwards until his head was almost touching the ground without his feet _leaving_ it, before one leg came up and knocked the soldier's head out of the neck joint with a sickening crack. Before that was even done, Seul's hands were on the ground, and the propulsion from his single kick made him flip over and land in a crouch with ease.

'Don't know where he got those moves, but the kid's got style.'

Sure that the kid could handle himself, at least for now, Lina turned and finally released the last reins on the demon inside of her, allowing it its so desired freedom at last. And then it didn't matter that she only had one arm at her disposal, because now, it was more than enough.

Not even the pain that blossomed from her shoulder as her arm was jostled around almost lifelessly could make her assault lessen even one bit.

* * *

Verse 6

When the last Nation soldier finally bit the dust, the once pristine snow had been dyed crimson because of the blood that had been spilt. Isaac looked around once more, even as Lina and Seul came over, flanked by Irei.

"We have to get out of here before more arrive," Isaac said, though he knew that Lina had already sent the message to her partner, whom had told everyone else as soon as the fight was over. Her sword was already replaced in its sheath, while she reached up to wipe a few smudges of blood away from her face.

However, it didn't take long for Isaac to notice her arm. "Lina! Your arm-"

But Lina roughly shoved him out of her way as she kept walking, not stopping until she was next to her dragon. Though he gave her a strange look, the glare she gave him was obvious enough. No one dared to object as Lina somehow managed to pull herself up onto the dragon's neck with only one arm. And then the dragon was up in the air with one solid clap of his wings, once more taking the lead of the army.

And all the time, Eris watched from a distance. She could tell that something was wrong, and she didn't mean just with Lina's injuries. Something about the battle just then didn't fit with Lina's regular pattern.

'It was almost like she was holding back…'

* * *

Verse 7

Things were silent for a long time. Lina stubbornly clung to consciousness, even as her head was beginning to spin and her stomach revolting to the dragon's movements beneath her.

**You're not up for flying.**

_Shut UP! I don't want to hear it!_

**You're going to fall off.**

_I am NOT! Now just shut up and fly, dammit!_

The dragon snorted simply, but did as he was told. He could threaten that he'd not catch her, but both knew damn well that even if she fell, he'd damn well rush after and catch her before she'd be able to hit the ground, if only because he himself wasn't about to die just yet.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he worried about her. Don't be absurd.

Lina's shoulder throbbed painfully, but she wasn't about to reach over to try and lessen the pain. She was not so weak that she couldn't handle a little pain. And damn if she wasn't determined not to let it show on her face.

She was just glad that they'd already cleared the skies prior to the last battle. At least for now.

**You can't keep this up.**

_I didn't ask for an opinion!_

**I'm still giving it. Get used to it.**

Lina snarled angrily, before she slammed her fist on his hide, despite knowing it wouldn't do anything. The dragon merely chuckled.

_Damn you!_ she snarled angrily, before a slight shiver ran through her, starting from her gut.

As much as she hated to admit it, that didn't feel too good. But even as the bile began to rise up her throat, she forcibly swallowed it again, despite the horrible taste it left behind. It was sheer willpower alone that she didn't puke her guts out.

**That's it… listen; I'm giving you 10 seconds to make up your mind before I take us down myself! You're clearly not capable of staying up here for long!**

_Would you shut UP already? I'm not a damn child already! I don't need to be babied!_

**That so? Because you sure can whine like one.**

_And I don't WHINE!_

**Could've fooled me…**

The sudden lack of response caused him to turn his head so he could look back at his partner. The girl was now rubbing her temples with a low growl, as if this was giving her a headache… but why was she sweating in this cold?

Then he saw it…

"Confound it! When did your wound open?" he demanded, noticing there was a lot more blood on her shoulder than when they'd taken the air. "Right that's it! I'm taking us down!"

"I… don't…"

It was all that managed to get out before she fell forward against his neck, and only barely missed sliding over it and down to the earth below.

* * *

Verse 8

Eris sighed as she placed another cloth on the girl's forehead. The fourth in less than an hour. She definitely had a fever, but that wasn't from the cold, she knew now. When Seul had come in suddenly, and assessed the wound, his face had taken on a definitely worried look.

He was then shouting something about infection and about someone getting him two thin pieces of metal and some strong alcoholic drink. Though they'd questioned if he was old enough to drink, Eris had decided to humor the boy.

But as it turned out, he hadn't drunk one sip.

After he had cleaned the wound with Eris' help, he'd carefully assessed the wound, and had reached inside with the bits of metal… revealing a bit of cloth trapped inside the wound. And then things had gotten nasty.

He had requested Lina's dragon to keep her down while he disinfected the wound, as he called it.

Eris called it sheer torture. Pouring alcohol over a wound and expect it to help? Preposterous. But the dragon hadn't objected, and hadn't questioned him, holding Lina down when she began to thrash and roar in a combination of pain and fury.

Eris hadn't even wanted to know what she had been yelling about.

Now, however, it actually seemed to be helping. The wound was looking better, and though the fever hadn't subsided, Seul had claimed that it would pass. She'd just need to recover the blood she'd lost in that last battle.

It made Eris wonder…

Suddenly, Lina let out a raspy growl, tossing her head to the side, causing the cloth to land on the floor.

"Oh dangit… Lina…" she grumbled, picking up the cloth. She'd be glad once this was all over.

* * *

Verse 9

By the time everyone was asleep but the guards on duty, Lina had been snatched from the tent she'd been placed in, and now rested securely against her pact beast's body, coiled up like she had on the first night he'd pulled her away from the camp. It was warm under his wings, but she was warm enough on her own now, he could feel it.

And he knew it wasn't right.

Dragons weren't meant to be cold, and humans weren't meant to be burning like that. He knew _that_ much.

Snorting, he prodded her with his snout, just to see if it would wake her.

It didn't. Instead, she let out a moan and reached for something that, apparently, wasn't there. Some sort of security, he guessed. So, he prodded her again, and this time, her hands came faster, even in her subdued state of mind. When they came across him, they seemed to hesitate, but then she moved slowly and, strangely enough, curled around his head, one hand smoothing over the scales on his snout.

And… he had to admit… it felt… well… good.

No one had ever done that before. Well, no one had ever dared, he figured. Not that he blamed them.

Shaking the thought away, he made to go to sleep, but a soft, rasping growl made him pause.

"…ther… o… ther…"

'Other…? What does… …ah. Must be calling her mother, I guess… Pff.'

But… now that he thought about it… wasn't one part of the word more growling than the rest? That would mean there was another 'r' in the word she was mumbling.

And then it clicked.

Looking at her, he said his thoughts out loud, despite knowing neither she nor anyone out there would hear, or understand, him.


	22. Chapter 21: Boy of Sadness

Alright, one thing, I'm not dropping this story. I'm just suffering from lack of inspiration.

About the chapter's title; again, it's derived from the new char's name. "Tristan", I read, is probably derived from the French word "triste", which means "sad". And considering the story of Tristan and Isolde… I can't say I'm really surprised.

Oh yeah… guess which sword Tristan uses and get yourself a cookie.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 21: Boy of Sadness**

Verse 1

The forest was definitely quiet. Sure, birds chirped, and small forest creatures scurried about, but that was it. Pretty logical, as the forest was still waking up, despite the sun being out for a few hours already.

And despite that, a callused hand reached up and took hold of one of the many fruits that dangled from the tree, carefully pulling it free. Looking around, a single figure seemed to count the remaining fruits on the tree, before dropping from the tree and back to solid ground, next to the handcrafted bowl resting there. It was filled with many other fruits, and also a stack of leaves, separated from the fruits because of its strong scents by a small barrier that had been made in the bowl.

Placing the pieces of fruit he had just picked in the bowl, the figure, definitely male, looked over the entire thing, just to ensure he had everything. Once he was sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he picked up the bowl and stood, beginning the trek back.

As the sun peeked out from behind a tree, he hissed and raised a hand to shield his eyes. Mussed up dark brown hair hung around his shoulders, and it looked like it hadn't seen a pair of scissors in a good while, the bangs hanging haphazardly over his eyes, while two brighter, chestnut highlights ran through it. And peculiar, sharp yellow eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the sudden invasion of light, before moving onward.

Still holding the bowl in one hand, he finally climbed a small rock formation, one that led to a cave high enough to be away from roving eyes, but close enough to earth to not be a nuisance when climbing with one arm. Once topside, he walked to the cave carefully, clucking his tongue a few times, knowing what happened last time when he had entered without a warning. A soft rumble informed him that he could enter, so he did, moving silently still.

Setting down the bowl, he pulled out the leaves and moved to the only other figure in the cave.

The darkest of red scales caught what little light they could, as wings donned with leather-like skin folded back to reveal more of the same leaves he carried, secured on the creature's side. The creature slowly turned its heavy head to him, light gray horns lightly scraping over the wall before it moved away from it carefully.

As the human bent down beside the creature, he tentatively placed a hand on the creature's side, just short of the wound. "…how does it feel…?" he asked softly.

"Better," the creature said, a definite female voice. "I don't say this often, but… thank you."

The human smiled crookedly, but weakly. "You're welcome." It was all he said before he splayed out the leaves he'd brought onto the floor, grabbing some other leaves, he placed them in a smaller bowl, and began to grind those to dust. After spreading the dust over the new leaves, he moved over and carefully peeled away the leaves still there.

A wound that was half his size was revealed upon doing so. It appeared to be healing properly, though, and he gave it a small nod, before he began to pick up the new leaves. "This will…"

"Sting. I know."

He merely shrugged and set to work.

* * *

Verse 2

Though the powder on the leaves stung like hell, she merely winced for a moment before she gritted her teeth and growled from the back of her throat. She should've been used to it by now. This had to be the fifth or sixth time he'd changed her 'bandages'. She was just glad he knew how to, as she had doubted he'd be able to handle that.

But she should have known better. He had survived on his own long before they had ever met, so she shouldn't even dare to underestimate him. Still, it was obvious that some habits were hard to break.

'If Ilfirin could see me now… I would be in SO much trouble right now…'

On the other hand, Ilfirin wasn't like that, now that she thought about it. The other dragon had never approved of humans, but he had his reasons for it, she figured. Not that he ever talked about it, but it was obvious he'd had SOME bad experiences with humans. The others were never really interested enough to ask, and he wouldn't have answered anyway.

Still, he had been missing in action for quite a while now. And sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

Looking over, she noticed that the boy was just picking up the last leaf, before it was placed over the last visible part of the wound. Though it had stopped bleeding long ago, it was necessary to change the bandages so it could at least heal properly and avoid scarring. One of them with scars was enough…

At that thought, she glanced over to his face. Though it was hardly visible in the dark, she knew exactly where the skin was different from the rest. It started in the center of his forehead, millimeters under his hairline, then arched down to his nose, and split into two ends, one touching the right corner of his lips and the other curving to end dead-center under his left eye.

He couldn't remember from where he got the scar, but it hardly bothered him. Sure, it hardly made him look that attractive, but he wasn't much of a people person anyway.

Silently, she watched as he moved back toward the bowl to pick out a couple of the fruits he'd picked that day. But then she raised her head and frowned toward the exit, spotting a flock of birds squawking and rushing for the skies in panic.

He looked up in surprise, before he frowned, and moved to the wall to pick up a single item. Nodding once, he then hurried off after setting the bowl down beside her. Shaking her head, she ignored him rushing off and just began eating.

Being weak because of lack of nutrition was not fun, she knew.

* * *

Verse 3

With a grunt of effort, Nowe pushed himself back to his feet, one hand over the wound on his side. "Damn him!" he snarled softly, pulling himself up by a nearby tree.

He'd lost sight of that demon some time ago, but he knew he had to keep searching. Madelynn's life depended on it…

However, his injury was not only slowing him down, it was weakening him as well. To such an extent that he'd fallen from the sky. Though he'd managed to break his fall, slightly, the crash still hurt.

"Urgh… can't… stop… I… I have to… oohhhh…"

But before Nowe could get very far, his eyes rolled back into his head and he hit the ground with a dull thud.

* * *

As Nowe hit the dirt, another brown-haired man stepped into the clearing, a small frown marring his face as he looked at the other man. Cocking his head curiously, he walked forward, before lightly tapping his long sword against the side of Nowe's head.

When there was no reaction, he moved over closer, keeping a careful eye on any movements the man made. Bending down, he reached out and placed his fingers on the artery in Nowe's neck, and waited.

_Ba-bump… ba-bump… ba-bump…_

The scarred man seemed to consider his options, before taking Nowe by his arm and slinging the other man over his shoulder. Keeping him there with one arm, he then turned and headed back from where he came.

As much as he'd appreciate not being involved with this guy, he wasn't heartless.

* * *

Verse 4

When Nowe awoke much later that day, it was to the sound of a crackling fire. However, his eyelids currently refused to lift, thus keeping him trapped in darkness for a while longer. Groaning softly, he rolled over, wincing as his side ached slightly at the sudden movement, causing him to reach out and cover the wound with both hands.

Only to realize something was placed over it before his hands came up to it.

Of course, being half-asleep, it took slightly longer for Nowe's mind to actually catch up to that knowledge.

Wearily, Nowe pried his eyes open carefully, blinking a little to get adjusted to the small amount of light within the cave. The first thing he saw when he could focus again, was that he clearly wasn't alone. But the company he was with startled him, a little.

'A… a dragon…?' Frowning a little, he tried to sit up, only to wince at the sting from his side.

Almost casually, a dark golden eye peeked out from under one scaled eyelid. "Awake at last, boy?"

A female dragon. Great… "Where…"

"Our little 'hidey hole', one could say. And don't bother searching for your sword. Tristan took it with him." Nowe could only blink.

"Wha… why did…?"

But before the question could be finished, a clucking sound came from the mouth of the cave. The dragon lifted her head and gave a slight rumbling growl.

Even when he strained his hearing, Nowe couldn't hear the other man's approach as he entered the cave, because next thing he knew, the man had placed a bowl of several kinds of fruits on the ground, grabbing one and taking a quick bite even as he stood. Nowe could just spot his own sword secured on the other man's belt, which would make him 'Tristan', he figured.

And then he looked up, and Nowe almost choked at the piercing yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the light of the fire. There was one thing that was clear though; they weren't the eyes of a human.

The other man stared him down for a moment longer, before he turned away whilst throwing an apple toward Nowe. The brunette blinked, but the other male had seated himself not far from the dragon, facing the fire as he munched on his own piece of fruit.

After a moment of thought, and a grumbling stomach, Nowe finally picked up the apple as he pushed himself up silently. Ripping off part of the apple with his teeth, Nowe tried not to think too much. He'd save that for later. At that moment, his body needed sustenance, so he'd settle that little problem first.

* * *

Verse 5

After he'd finished the apple down to the core, he'd been hesitant about what to do next, until the other man, Tristan, he kept telling himself, silently gestured him to come sit by the fire. He clearly figured Nowe was well enough to do so.

Once he had sat down beside the fire, Nowe had to suppress the sudden urge to jump up in shock, if only not to jolt his injury. From a distance, Tristan had looked a little familiar, and he had a feeling he should've remembered a face like that, but it hadn't come to him.

Now however, it was perfectly clear. Despite the scar running across his face, and the clearly dragonesque eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the fire's light, the brown mess that was his hair was something that could not be mistaken for that of anyone else, despite the two highlights in it. The messy bangs only barely staid out of the way of his eyes, nearly reached just below his nose and seemed to sway to the left as if they had always grown that way. Though it was longer in the back, even that style was easy to recognize; smooth and messy at the same time, something even Nowe had yet to perfect with his own hair.

He doubted he'd ever be able to, however.

This man, Tristan, was a spitting image of Caim. There was no denying it; no one who had seen the one-eyed man would be able to deny that fact. But it left him to wonder.

Nowe had his suspicions, of course, but something didn't sit right.

And he didn't want to raise too many questions in case it wasn't appreciated. This guy apparently saved his life, and he wasn't about to get up and personal with the man right away. That would be stupid, he knew.

So he remained silent and just ate a couple more pieces of fruit, watching as Tristan took one every now and then as well. The dragon resting behind him was silent, her eyes shut lightly as if she was asleep.

Nowe smiled.

With that dragon there, he was really reminded of Caim and Angelus. But this one, though red as well, was smaller, with wings that seemed just big enough to carry her weight. Not only that, but unlike the dragons he'd seen before, she had a total of six limbs; wings, hindlegs and forelegs. But there was a faint air about her that really reminded him of the red dragon he'd seen years ago.

And again, he wondered… what kind of bond had Caim and Angelus shared that he and Legna had lacked? Why was their bond so much stronger that it had only strengthened over the 18 years they had been apart?

When a piece of fruit hit him to the head, he yelped out. "Ow!"

Turning curiously, he saw Tristan looking at him questionably. "… What?" he asked after a moment, not sure if Tristan could actually talk, unlike Caim.

"…you were spaced out."

Nowe blinked. "Oh. Sorry. I was just… thinking."

Tristan didn't say anything, but then he nodded and returned his attention to the fire in front of him. 'Well, that answers that question…' Nowe figured. It hadn't been much and more like a statement than an actual question, but at least he spoke.

Actually, that was a good thing.

"Can I ask you something?" he started, causing Tristan to look up silently. "I'm searching for someone. I believe she was taken through this forest earlier. Did you see anyone else pass through these woods earlier?"

For a moment, Tristan frowned, before he shook his head solemnly. "No… sorry."

Nowe tried not to let the disappointment show on his face, but he still felt his mouth twitch into a slightly worried frown. He'd already guessed the trail'd grow cold at some point, but it had come much sooner than he had anticipated.

"I see…" he said solemnly, half-heartedly munching on another piece of fruit. He wasn't that hungry anymore, but it didn't matter much either way. Suddenly remembering something, Nowe glanced down to his side, taking note of the dark leaves that had been placed over the wound on his side. And he only then realized that his shirt had been removed to allow easy access to it.

Reaching out, he carefully touched the leaves, wincing at the slight sting it caused. However, the pain was minimal.

"Leave them be…" Tristan suddenly said, causing Nowe to look up curiously. "The leaves prevent infection…"

"Oh… well… thanks." Nowe allowed a small smile, but Tristan merely nodded, before he proceeded to poke a stick at the fire.

Clearly, the discussion was over.

'Well, he might speak, but it surely isn't much…'

* * *

Verse 6

As night fell, the temperature began to drop further and further, until the fire wasn't enough to keep them all warm and cozy. Tristan stuck around near the fire for a while longer, continuing to throw sticks into the blaze, blowing on his hands every now and then. But otherwise, he was silent. And the dragon wasn't much for conversation either.

Though Nowe wasn't about to ask just _why_ Tristan was in a cave with a dragon, he had a hunch. Not that he was about to bring it up. It seemed too much of a personal question to both Tristan and the dragon.

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Tristan shook his head, clearly struggling to stay awake.

"If you want, I can keep watch for now," Nowe said after a while, making Tristan look up suspiciously. "I'm not that tired anyway. And I'm not about to go anywhere without my sword."

Tristan had not returned Nowe's sword throughout the day, clearly still a bit wary of the other man. Not that Nowe actually blamed him; nowadays, it was getting harder and harder to find someone you could actually trust. Had Nowe been thrown into a similar situation, he'd probably be just as suspicious.

Growling softly, Tristan instantly brought up his long sword and aimed the tip at Nowe's nose with deadly precision. Nowe didn't even twitch, having expected as much from the other.

"…you try anything…" Tristan growled out. "…I'll kill you…"

"I wouldn't dream of it. I still owe you my life, after all."

Tristan continued to glare, hand still holding the blade perfectly still, and Nowe took a moment to actually study it a bit more. It seemed to be well taken care of, finely polished until it shone like silver. Only one side was truly sharpened, but that clearly didn't mean the other side wasn't dangerous. Another thing was that the blade changed into the guard when it reached the hilt, curving around to better guard its wielder's hands.

But… now that it was this close, it almost seemed to emanate some sort of sadness, as well.

Finally, Tristan lowered the sword solemnly. "…"

Without a word, Tristan stood in one fluid motion and stalked over toward the red dragon. She silently raised one wing, allowing him to settle against her side before hiding the boy from view again.

Nowe didn't really bother, and just turned to the fire again. He'd slept long enough during the day, so he wasn't about to fall asleep any time soon. Even as the dragon seemed to curl up, keeping her head out from under her wing to keep a better eye on Nowe.

He didn't really mind. Refocusing on the fire, Nowe pulled the blanket Tristan had tossed his way earlier over his head to keep at least some of the cold out.

For now, he wasn't going anywhere, so he might as well try to stay warm.


	23. Chapter 22: Second Demon

Whoo. Now, if there's still ANYONE who doesn't know who Tristan is by the end of this chapter, meh. I've given all the hints I'm willing to give, and you're not getting more until… Heh. Not telling, that would be spoiling.

Oh and something else… I know plenty of people have this story on Story Alert, yet not everyone's leaving reviews. Now I don't mean to press, but I like receiving feedback, just like other writers.

So let's make a deal; I'll work on chap 23, but I won't update again until I have AT LEAST 60 reviews. Okay?

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* * *

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**Chapter 22: Second Demon**

Verse 1

He was tired, and yet he couldn't fall asleep for some odd reason. He wanted to, very much, but there was something that wouldn't allow him. Tristan wanted to blame it on that man he rescued, but that didn't seem fair. Besides, he'd been having troubles sleeping since before he ever encountered him.

**Can't sleep, little one? **his partner's voice echoed through his mind.

_No… _

She always called him that. He didn't mind, actually. He could vaguely remember his mother calling him that as well, though he couldn't remember face, voice, or anything else about her. He'd never even tried to remember his father and wasn't sure if he'd ever known him.

Not that it really mattered to him. All he wanted was to stay alive long enough.

He was shaken from his musings when he felt, and heard, the dragon below his body rumble with her quiet purring, sending a light vibration through him. He smiled softly, though his mouth didn't hold that for long.

_Thank you._

**Don't mention it.**

* * *

Verse 2

He always found it to be amazing how the most innocent things could look so horrifying in the pitch-black of night. A creature that stirred to the side could be nothing but a tree with its branches waving in the wind when he were to raise his lantern higher. Something clinging to his cloak could be one of such branches managing to get tangled in the material.

Such things would scare a normal person to death, but he'd seen these things since childhood, so he was used to it by now.

After casually pulling the material of his cloak loose, he solemnly began to walk again. To where, he wasn't too sure himself, but he knew he had to keep walking. He had a feeling that whatever was here, waiting for him, would be at the end of this path. Now he just had to ensure he staid on the path and followed it to the end.

The lantern he held was just enough to ensure he would not trip over roots or rocks that littered the path, and not for the first time, he wondered where he was. Something deep inside told him he should know, but it seemed to escape him every time.

He knew that, once he saw a glimpse of the end, he would wake up, and would be left to wonder what had been there.

Not this time.

Determination filled his soul as he gripped the lantern tightly and picked up his pace, hoping that, like this, he could finally reach the end before he would awaken from this dream. That was all it was, after all; just a dream.

He ignored the movement from all around him and just focused on the path, moving onward relentlessly.

When he saw a faint light up ahead, he didn't pause. Instead, he began to run. He had to know what was there, just had to. He jumped over rocks and branches that were too big to run over, or just ran around them if he could.

And then he stopped beneath a gate.

Silently, he could only stare at the village that lay before him. Or whatever was left of it. The light he had seen came from the fires that still burned inside some of the ruined houses. The air was filled with the scent of blood and decay, corpses were everywhere, but something seemed off.

A sense of familiarity struck him for a brief moment, even as he moved slowly, ignoring the dead around him. Something about this village was far too familiar. What was here…? Why was he here?

Then he stopped and frowned. He bent down and raised his lantern to read the words written in blood.

"'Speak not the Watchers. Draw not the Watchers. Write not the Watchers. Sculpt not the Watchers. Sing not the Watchers. Call not the Watchers' name.' …what is this?" he whispered softly.

But before he could stand, pain shot through his head, making him cry out as the lantern dropped. The flame went out instantly and the lantern rolled over the stones as he dropped, gripping his head painfully.

Someone was in pain, he knew. But who… and where?

A voice suddenly whispered to him, begging, crying for his help, even if only one word came to him. It was enough. He knew. He had to get to that person. Had to do whatever it took so they could be together.

* * *

Verse 3

With a start, Tristan's eyes shot open and scanned around him as one hand reached for his sword. Only when he was certain there was nothing there did he allow himself to relax.

**That dream again?**

_Yeah… …I saw the end of the path._

**And?**

_A village. I don't know where it was, but everyone was dead. _Sighing, Tristan shook his head. _There was something… familiar about that place… but I can't place it…_

The dragon hummed softly in thought, but he knew she wouldn't say anything else. He wanted to figure out what it meant on his own, and was still not ready to accept any help, even from his partner. But there was one thing he would add.

_I heard her again…_

**'Her'? Are you sure?**

Tristan just nodded.

* * *

Verse 4

Sleep was being elusive after that dream, leaving Tristan to toss and turn for a while longer before he decided to get up again. It was still pretty cold out, even more so after having slept against a dragon for several hours.

When Tristan didn't see Nowe sitting by the fire, a slight twinge of worry gnawed on his mind, until he spotted the other man standing by the entrance of the cave, staring out into the night silently, but making no moves to leave the cave. Slightly curious as to what there was to see that could enrapture the man like that, Tristan walked over and stood on the other side of the opening.

Nowe was slightly taller than he was, but Tristan was broader in the shoulders, making him seem taller, which was enough for the dragon-eyed male.

Looking out, all Tristan could see was the vast expanse of forest. Frowning a little, he looked toward Nowe. And then he realized that Nowe's gaze was aimed higher. Looking to the skies, Tristan instantly understood.

There was no moon. The world was shrouded in darkness, with only the hundreds upon thousands of stars to light the forest and any other place not inhabited by humans. It made everything below the skies look that much more scary, but made the sky gleam and glitter like diamonds that had been scattered on a dark blue, almost black, satin sheet.

"…I always watched the skies with my father when it was like this…"

When Nowe spoke like that, Tristan might have tensed for a moment, before turning to the other man again. There was a sort of forlorn look in his eyes, as if it hurt to think of the past. Tristan looked away.

He wished he could remember something about his father, but nothing would come to him. He only knew his mother, and even those memories were beginning to fade away over time. Hell, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd _seen_ his mother.

Looking across the forest again, Tristan tried not to bring up more of his own past…

And felt his face contort into a glare when he saw something that did not belong.

When the dragon inside the cave lifted her head and began to snarl, he realized what had happened…

"They're _back_," he growled out, a furious rumble that sounded more like it came from the dragon behind him than from him. Nowe instantly turned to him curiously, blinking in slight surprise at what he just did.

"Who are back?" Nowe asked with a frown.

Had Tristan actually listened to the question, he might've wondered HOW Nowe could've understood what he just said, but his gut had begun to churn violently, as his fingers tightened their grip on his sword.

And just before he bolted from the cave, his mouth curled up into a feral, demonic grin.

* * *

Verse 5

Every creature in the forest awoke as the stillness was broken by the snapping of multiple twigs beneath the feet of what had to be a small army of human soldiers. Instead of coming out, however, they all retreated until they were pushed back into the very back of their nests or their tunnels that rested underground. They could already tell that these soldiers were not something you messed with. Even the wolves of the forest, ever faithful protectors of the woods, could only watch from a distance as the small army marched through the woods, searching for whatever it was they needed.

They shoved everything away that got in their ways, and sometimes simply cut it to pieces with the swords they carried. These men meant business, all creatures knew. But what they didn't know, was what they wanted…

And then the wolves snapped their heads around toward another scent that came suddenly. It was faint, and the source didn't make a sound, even as it passed the hundreds of twigs that the small army had passed with such harshness. But this new source also oozed danger, but of a different kind than the soldiers.

The soldiers argued angrily among themselves, their armor clinking as they moved, offering plenty of protection from any kind of attack. The animals knew none of the forest creatures would be able to bite through the material that covered those humans. So what made that source feel so sure that _it_ could?

None of the soldiers noticed as the figure followed at a distance, one that became considerably less and less with every moment. It wasn't until the figure was almost upon them, that one of the soldiers seemed to sense it, and slowly turned to see if something had dared to follow.

The last thing he saw was a horrifyingly maddening grin that almost seemed inhuman, before the long silver blade whistled through the air and pierced through steel, flesh, bone, more flesh, and then steel before it was once more exposed to fresh air. He was never given the chance to scream as death came for him in barely a minute.

This caused the others to look up in horror. They were not as lucky as their partner…

* * *

Verse 6

Once the forest had settled, Tristan made a small side trip to the nearby lake to wash the blood off his sword. Last thing he wanted was for it to ruin the sword. They'd have to leave, but he wasn't sure if his partner was up to it with her injury.

_Dragon._

**Hmm?**

_Do you think you can fly with that injury?_

**Have to run again, do we?**

_Yes._

**Hmph. You'll get us both killed with that attitude of yours, little one.**

_Whatever. So can you?_

**I'll be fine. Coming back soon?**

_Yes._

And that was the end of that discussion as Tristan rose and headed back toward the cave. They had to move now. It was late, but the sooner they got going, the better. And the darkness of the skies would cover for them, mostly.

* * *

Verse 7

When the screams had come from the forests, Nowe was instantly reminded of the times when Caim had been around and slain several dozen of Knights of the Seal in the blink of an eye. The first time he'd seen it, he'd been scared as hell, despite never having shown it. The thought of remorselessly killing so many in so little time… should've been impossible.

But Caim had pulled it off. He'd pulled off what no other man could possibly do.

However, Tristan seemed to get dangerously close…

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the dragon suddenly pushed herself up and let out a small groan. "I suggest you grab all you need and run. That injury should not hinder you much longer."

"But what about you?"

The dragon snorted, folding up her wings so they would not scrape the walls. "Don't underestimate us. We will be fine. You, on the other hand, should leave, now."

Nowe frowned, but before he could question her, Tristan swung himself up the last few feet into the cave and landed in a crouch, sword glinting from the few remaining drops of water mixed with blood. Reaching for his side, he pulled out Nowe's sword, and glared at the other man for a moment, before holding it out to him.

Though he was seriously against the idea, Nowe just silently accepted his own sword back. However, he made no move to actually leave. Tristan glared, but before he could say anything…

"I cannot just leave you on your own," Nowe said firmly. "I still owe you my life. So even if I wanted to, honor would not allow me to leave."

"…" Tristan could not say anything to that, before he snorted and turned away.

* * *

Verse 8

By the time morning came, the cave was empty, and showed no signs of life for the past several months. The soldiers in the forest had been dragged off by the carnivores in the forest, bones picked clean of meat and then buried all across the forest. The creatures seemed to know that no one was meant to know about this.

And by the time reinforcements arrived, a single red dragon flew through the clouds high above the ground, carrying two passengers in silence. The absolute quiet of the ride should have driven anyone insane, but neither Tristan or Nowe seemed ready to break it.

Nowe sat behind Tristan on the dragon's neck, which was something he had never done before. Normally, he was the one sitting in front of others, except for Manah. But Urick had always sat behind him.

Then again, every time he had been sitting on top of a dragon, he'd been sitting on Legna. That made a lot of difference.

It made him wonder if Caim ever took anyone with him to ride his dragon.

Shaking the thought aside, Nowe finally spoke. "So… where are we heading exactly?"

Tristan didn't answer for a long time, before he said simply: "North…"


	24. Chapter 23: Darkness

Well, like I promised… here's Chap.23.

Now for Chap.24, I'm still not sure whom to follow… Either Lynn or Tristan but I'll figure it out by the time I get there.

Still, I won't put it up until I have at least… 70 reviews. And the next to say I'm begging for reviews gets a taste of my Yami…

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* * *

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**Chapter 23: Darkness**

Verse 1

Lina slept for nearly two days straight. It seemed her body had finally had enough of everything she had pulled over the past few days. She only woke on brief occasions, and even then, only to growl out something that, according to her dragon, meant she needed water or food.

She could barely swallow anything, so most things were first ground to mush for her and then washed down with water. It tasted bad at times, but it was better than letting her starve. Every time after that, she fell right back asleep against her dragon's side.

The large creature refused to let her be moved, keeping the redhead secured under his wing at all times, threatening to disembowel anyone coming too close without a good enough reason.

Seul often sat on a rock nearby, one leg slung over the other and arms folded over his chest, eyes shut lightly as he seemed to think very deeply about something. But he never attempted to get any closer to either the dragon or Lina than what the dragon deemed necessary.

Isaac, though worried about Lina, patrolled the outskirts of the camp with Irei, ensuring that they were safe while Lina recovered. He clearly wanted to object to what the dragon was doing, but he didn't dare to speak back to such a creature. Because he feared it might be the last thing he would do.

Like this, it staid, with Lina safely tucked away under the dragon's wing, hidden away from the world until she would heal.

And it would also hide how she would always curl up against him like a hatchling.

* * *

Verse 2

It was on the dawn of the third day. Seul was still seated upon his rock, and had not moved at all since the sun had set hours ago. He remained in that same position, completely motionless. And by how things were going, he had no intentions of moving any time soon, either.

"How long do you intend to stay there in this cold?" the dragon asked with a soft snort.

Seul opened the only eye that faced the dragon, a dark black in the dusk. "As long as I must. This cold does not effect me once I clear my mind fully."

At that, the dragon cocked his head, but said nothing.

Seul didn't bother and turned to the skies for a moment, opening both eyes as he unfolded his arms. Leaning back on his arms, he seemed to wonder, but then he began to speak again. "I'm still not used to seeing the skies like this again…"

At that, the dragon's interest rose. "Again?"

"…I don't know how…" Seul admitted. "…but… where I came from… wherever that is… the sky suddenly… well it… it shattered." The dragon frowned a little. "Just like glass… And then that… thing… came to me and said… 'If you want to live, make a pact with me. Do it or you will die.'"

"Hmph. So you made a pact with a demon." Seul's hands tightened briefly at the cold tone of the dragon's voice. "Making a pact with something like that… You're a true fool."

"What was I supposed to do!" Seul demanded as he turned to the dragon. "I'd be dead by now if I hadn't-"

"It is better to die than to live in constant horror." Seul paled. "The red sky you saw… if Eris dies, that will occur again. The skies will shatter once the Goddess Seal breaks. And then the true horrors of this world awaken."

The look of horror on Seul's face would've made any human stop. But he was no human.

"You had better learn to toughen up, before-"

_Dragon! SHUT UP!_

Seul winced at the shout that rumbled through his head, but the dragon smirked. "Well, I see you decided to join the living again…"

A growling voice echoed from behind his wing, before Lina shoved it out of the way, stalking out from under her partner.

"Touchy…" the dragon chuckled, to which Lina responded with another rumbling growl, turning to the heavens solemnly but also angrily.

Seul wasn't sure what was being said, but he had a feeling he didn't want to know either way.

After a moment of silence, Seul looked at Lina's shoulder, even though it was tucked away under her cloak. "How's your shoulder?" he asked after a moment. He wasn't sure if it was good that Lina didn't twitch or reach for her shoulder upon the question.

_Fine._

He understood the conversation was over, and he wasn't about to question her. Not with her pact partner this close, at least. "Well, okay. I'll let everyone know you're alright then."

When there was no reply, he figured it was okay, and began to run back toward the camp to tell the others that Lina was back in action, despite knowing that some of them, mainly Eris and Isaac, would still worry despite that.

* * *

Verse 3

Lina watched Seul disappear into the camp, before she looked away again. She was more than happy to be awake again. Being asleep for so long left her mentally exhausted. Because, while her body was resting up, her mind had refused to let up on her, repeating the same dream over and over.

She remembered only cold, and it was almost as if she had been pushed into a dark room with no way out. Or maybe that was how life had seemed to her back then. And she remembered, vaguely, that she had felt… well… felt strangely…

Alone…

It shouldn't have bothered her, but it had. It was like she'd been missing something very important. Or was that some_one_? She wasn't sure, but whatever she had missed, it was important.

That darkness…

Perhaps that was the darkness inside her own heart, because she had locked away everything. Locked up her soul, her compassion, and everything else that could possibly threaten her.

In short; every single damned thing.

And though she had wanted to escape that darkness, she knew that she couldn't. She didn't have the key to the door out of there. And she hadn't even bothered to go looking for it in the pitch-blackness that had surrounded her. She'd done something she had never done before…

She gave up…

Lina knew she'd just kept walking in that darkness, just hadn't known if she'd actually been going anywhere or was walking in constant circles.

Where had she been going?

What did it matter?

What did ANYTHING matter?

Then suddenly, pain stabbed her chest and she gasped as she reached up. Something had happened…

Loneliness made way to worry, worry made way to anger, and anger made way to rage, and soon it consumed every fiber of her being. And then the darkness didn't matter and she was running. This time it didn't faze her. It no longer mattered. Nothing else mattered safe that she get to her destination before…

She thought she'd already reached the peak of rage before… but it was nothing compared to what she felt then. It didn't lessen for what felt like years… when a sudden streak of light nearly blinded her.

It wasn't much, just a little ray, but something had opened the door to the darkness. Or at least undid one of the many locks that trapped her there. She felt elated, though the exact reason for why was still unclear.

A sudden trickle at the back of her mind snapped her out of her musing. _Huh, what?_

**You going to go down there or wait until the wind knocks you over on your ass?**

_Shut up._

Ignoring the dragon's snort, Lina solemnly made her way to the camp.

* * *

Verse 4

Watching her go, the dragon did a good job at hiding his worry. During the days she had spent asleep under his wing, she had never actually asked for food or water. He merely said she had because it wouldn't do for her to starve. Usually, only one word would come from her throat, rumbling and growling in the language of dragons, the single word could've meant anything.

Well, word…

"A… An… Ange… lus… Angelus…"

The way she'd called out, it was almost as if she'd been searching for a dear friend. Someone she'd lost long ago and wanted desperately to meet again. But he knew damn well that the dragon known as "Angelus" was dead, along with that human she called a pact partner.

But how could _his_ pact partner know of her? Surely she'd been dead by the time that child had been born.

And then there were the feelings that kept coming from her. In sleep, her mind wasn't as guarded as it tended to be when she was awake. He'd figured that out the first time she'd had an actual bad dream after becoming his partner.

The first dream had nearly scared him half to death, until he realized what had happened. Of course, he wasn't happy with that, but he couldn't actually blame his partner for being human.

Not like she had chosen to be one…

Anyway, he was used to her heavy-duty feelings when it came to dreams by now. But what he had felt from her the past few days left him seriously worried.

First and foremost of everything she'd felt was loneliness. Joining it shortly were sorrow, longing and finally despair. It had staid for most of the first day, until night came. That was when something changed. There was a hitch in her emotions, and then worry filled her. But it just kept growing stronger until it had evolved into such a rage, he'd almost call her fury that of a raging dragon.

Whatever it had been aimed at in the dream, he pitied the person she eventually unleashed it at.

The rage then cooled, though it kept simmering on a low fire from around late afternoon. And then, a few hours before dawn, something akin to excitement filled her soul.

And not long after, she'd woken up.

When was the last time she'd actually had a peaceful rest? Even when her body was at ease, her mind continued to torment her. What would it take for her to rest? He knew well enough she'd collapse in exhaustion soon enough if this kept on.

Something had to be done about that…

* * *

Verse 5

Everyone was worried about her. She should've seen that coming, but it didn't make it any less annoying. She ignored most of the questions about her well-being and just focused on their primary goal; getting Eris somewhere safe. The Nation had clearly figured out she was here, and that was not a good thing for them. They'd have to move on as soon as possible.

But, as Isaac had kindly pointed out, they were running out of places to run to. Leaving them with a bit of a problem. Lina also wasn't sure how long they'd survive this far north, too. Not as long as she wished to, though, she knew _that_ much.

Absently nibbling on a piece of bread, Lina tried to think of a way to stay one step ahead of the Nation. Which was not an easy feat, considering the circumstances. She had already decided to leave tomorrow at dawn, giving everyone enough time to prepare for the journey. She'd decide on their goal later on.

* * *

When the sun eventually began to set, the soldiers started to pack their stuff, knowing they'd be leaving once dawn came. As they did, Lina stood and returned to where her partner should still be. She was not in the mood to argue with him again about sleeping arrangements and all.

However, as she looked up, she blinked, twice, before she frowned and walked over solemnly.

_Dragon._

Her partner lazily looked at her. **What?**

_What happened to you?_

At that, the dragon seemed to smirk and let out a chuckle. **So you noticed? Took you long enough.**

While Lina had been sleeping, his body had begun to change, but it was so subtle over the two days to everyone, that no one had actually noticed it, or perhaps no one had bothered to mention it. But since Lina had not been awake during that time, she hadn't been able to notice.

The pale gold of his horns had darkened slightly, and the color had now spread to his scales, creating mysterious patterns on his back. That wasn't the end of it, though. His body had grown longer and more powerful, and his horns now arched further back, extending and splitting slightly at the ends. His scales had also darkened further as his head had lost most of its more rounded features, making him look more frightening to enemies.

_Just answer me. What's the deal with this?_ she asked, running one of her hands over one of his horns, following the altered curvature.

**It's very simple; when the situation becomes grave, we dragons will evolve. It is the blood memory of the dragons, and as long as that memory lives within us, we can stand firm in times of adversity.**

_…I see…_ Lina wasn't sure what else she could say about that. However, she was both excited and a little worried. If dragons only evolved when the situation around them became grave, what did that mean for their current predicament?

Lost in thought, Lina barely noticed when her hand strayed and moved across the dragon's rugged scales instead. When the dragon's rumbling purr resonated through her hand, she pulled back in sudden alarm.

**Did I say you could stop?**

At that, Lina blinked, before she shrugged, reaching out and running her hand over his snout again.

* * *

Verse 6

At some point, Lina had settled against the dragon's side again, but that hadn't stopped her hand. Her hand was still, albeit absently, stroking over the dragon's scales on his snout. It wasn't sure if she was aware that she was still doing it, but neither of the two partners seemed inclined to move away. Both stayed right where they were.

As the sun finally disappeared, the dragon brought up his wings and sheltered them both from the cold outside. Neither spoke. They stayed quiet for quite some time, though what they were actually doing wasn't really visible.

However, it was Lina who spoke first.

_You almost sound like a cat like that… just bigger._

The dragon snorted. **Problem?**

_Nah._

They stayed like that for a moment longer, the only movement of either being their breathing and Lina's hand as it moved over the dragon's scales. Neither was too willing to share whatever was on their mind, if there was anything at all.

After a moment longer, however, the dragon spoke up.

**You should have those dreams looked after.**

_…Shut up… _Lina mumbled. _I don't get to decide what I dream about, alright?_

**Maybe so, but if you know something is a dream, shouldn't you be able to change what you see?**

_It's not that easy,_ Lina said solemnly.

**You can chop up an entire army of soldiers but can't even control your dreams?**

_Shut up! I told you, it's not that easy! It's not like I can just decide what I want to dream!_

**Maybe so, but if you don't learn to, you're going to collapse one day.**

To that, Lina had no response. She just stared straight ahead, still absently moving her hand.

**What's on your mind?**

_…Nothing._

**You sure?**

_…just leave me alone…_

The dragon snorted softly. **Can't do that, remember? You're still stuck with me.**

_What am I supposed to do then, huh! HOW am I supposed to change my dreams just like that?_

**I don't know! Do what your parents did to shut you up!**

The sudden silence and complete lack of motion at that point startled the dragon. Looking up to his partner, he saw an expression on her face that he had never seen before. One he couldn't identify, either.

**Now what?**

Lina closed her eyes, and what the dragon saw flashing before his eyes kind of surprised him. Cold, dank stone walls, stained black with blood that had to be several decades old. Far too little food or animals to serve as food for a human of any size, even an infant. And not a single person walked the halls.

He blinked once, which wiped the scene from his eyes, and looked to his partner, whom was now looking down at the snow.

**…oh.**

Lina had nothing to say after that, which he kind of figured. Sighing, he prodded her in her stomach with his snout.

"Hey!"

**Then stop being so silent. Surely there was _someone_ who took care of you at some point.**

"…" At that, Lina almost turned thoughtful, before she shook it off. _Why the sudden interest anyway?_

**Because if you don't sleep, you'll collapse in the middle of a fight. You don't want that, do you?**

_…no…_

**Figured as much. So, how did they get you to sleep before?**

Lina was silent for a moment, before she answered so softly he had to strain to actually hear it.

**Really?**

"Hmhmm."

* * *

Verse 7

When night was upon the small army, all but the watchmen were fast asleep, though the soldiers would be roused at the slightest sign of danger. They had had too many close calls already, and they were not about to let another come to pass.

Even so, they were going to take every bit of rest they could get.

And the same went for Lina and her pact beast. Said soldier was resting up against her partner's stomach, barely moving with the exception of her breathing. Her partner was, naturally, coiled up around her, not really seeming to care either way. However, mentally, he was keeping track of the hours, despite being asleep.

And right at that point, it had been roughly 3 to 4 hours since Lina fell asleep.

…and not a single nightmare had found its way into her dreams.

* * *

DRAGON EVOLUTION

Silver Dragon has reached Level 2

Lock-on to maximum of 8 enemies

Magic attack "Holy Light" learned

* * *

"Do they possess the darkness? Or does it possess them? No matter. They. Shall. DIE!"


	25. Chapter 24: Memories

Meh. Was getting tired of waiting, so…

Wasn't sure who to follow… so I started with Lynn and worked around to Tristan. Heh…

One thing I would like to point out to Tamaki; it's not actually "SMTI", but "SMTIII" or "SMT3", but the last two letters got removed. And "SMT3" stands for the game "Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne", a demon-type RPG for PS2.

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**Chapter 24: Memories**

Verse 1

Despite the war that was going on up north between the Nation and the Union, the cities that surrounded the capital of the Nation barely seemed aware of that. They didn't even seem to be aware of any troubles at all, and most of them had complete faith in the Emperor. One thing was funny, though; not many had ever seen the Emperor's face.

Well, they had, just not in a while. After the Empress died about 10 years back, the Emperor has been holing himself up inside his palace. No one but those that lived inside the palace had seen him since then.

However, everyone in the capital believed he was just coping with his loss in his own way.

And that was where they were wrong.

* * *

Verse 2

With one strong bite, almost half of the apple had been ripped off from the core, disappearing slowly into the redhead's mouth as it was being devoured. The black-clothed girl was sitting on the edge of one of the many rooftops of the city, watching the palace from a safe enough distance.

_Tell me again, WHAT does the Emperor look like?_

**Who can say? Like I said, I have only seen him in the black cloak he always wears. It reveals nothing.**

Frowning, Lynn bit off a smaller piece of her apple. _He knows magic, right?_

**And plenty of it. Mostly because of his pact.**

_What is his pact partner, anyway?_

**Some sort of bird-like beast… I have never seen such a bird before.**

Nodding in understanding, Lynn thought those words over.

She and her partner had taken a stop in several of the Nation's cities, and that included the capital. Morcion had told her as much about the Nation as he could, sharing with her some of the Nation's most well-kept secrets.

Amongst those had been plenty about the Emperor himself. Many claimed he had not left the palace in at least 10 years, but it was quite the opposite. The Emperor was more often than not only to be found somewhere at the edges of the battlefield, or otherwise away from the capital. But it was true that not many had seen his face after that day when his wife passed away.

Only a few had even gotten a glimpse of him, and only of the bottom half of his face, mostly. No one knew how he looked exactly at this date.

Finishing her apple in silence, Lynn snorted, before she stood and ran down the wall, jumping back and forth between the buildings before landing soundlessly on the ground. Dusting off, she began to walk, adjusting her traveling cloak as she came out into the streets. No one there knew of her, so she could mingle easily.

For all the Nation knew, she was dead by the Emperor's poison, if not by the dragon that had "somehow" escaped them. And no one would really recognize her anyway.

The poison had left her with a scar across her right eye that almost reached her chin and just barely missed her hairline. Her hair had grown again and had retained its natural curls as a result, and the color of her hair had also darkened, as if the poison had also contaminated the color. And because of her pact to Morcion, her eyes had changed color to a poisonous green color.

If anyone from the Nation saw her, they would think nothing of her.

**What else will you do?**

_Search for a blacksmith… As strong as you are, Morcion, I still prefer to be armed._

**Hmph. Do as you like.**

_Always do. You should know by now._

**True… true…**

* * *

Verse 3

It was late at night when Lynn snuck out of the room she had rented in the inn, a single package secured under her arm. With the stealth of a cat, she moved across the roofs, ducking in and out of shadows at the most irregular intervals.

The streets were virtually empty, with only a few guards out on patrol. Despite that, there was no need to be getting sloppy just because of the lack of security. Taking careful note of everything around her, her little excursion soon brought her to the heavily fortified walls of the city, and then over them, without anyone noticing.

Making her way across a nearby field, she ducked into a hidden cavern just out of sight and made her way further inside.

"I'm back," she called out softly.

"Took you long enough…" her partner called out casually.

Lynn ignored the comment and settled herself next to Morcion. Neither of the two really seemed to care about the arrangement, nor did either seem inclined to move. Even as Lynn unwrapped the package and pulled out the two wave swords. Unlike the ones she had always carried, these were spiked like thorn branches. Moving her finger across the blade, she looked at her hand as a small stream of blood dribbled down her skin.

Yet she felt neither the pain or the blood that came from the wound.

With a sigh, she once more rolled up her sleeve, looking at the black markings that ran across her arm, and she knew they continued on across her entire body, sealing away her sense of touch. It had been to escape the pain, but now, she realized what a mistake that had been.

And yet she wouldn't change it for the world.

**You said you had to find someone, before…** Morcion suddenly said. **What did you mean?**

Lynn remained silent for a moment as she rubbed the blood between two fingers, before she finally decided to answer. _A friend… someone I miss very dearly…_

**Hm. She must be pretty important for you to search so feverishly for her.**

_Yeah…_ Lynn nodded, shutting her eyes and pulling up the image of her friend.

Fire red hair, dark blue eyes, and always a smile whenever she approached. Then she recalled the promise they had made together before parting ways.

_"Friends forever?"_

_"Friends forever."_

And that had been the last time she'd seen her. Lynn couldn't help but wonder what she would look like. And would she remember their promise, as well? How long had it been? 10, 15 years, maybe more, she wasn't too sure anymore.

Well, Lynn had gotten her wish at least; she was strong enough to protect everyone. But would Angelina approve of it? She probably wouldn't be happy with what Lynn was planning, that's for sure.

And it made her wonder if Angelina was really all right…

Had she escaped from the Nation with Manah? Or had she staid with Eris? She surely couldn't have gone with Nowe; he'd never allow it.

Well, wherever she was, Lynn could only hope she was safe.

**You should get some rest. You're no good to anyone when you're exhausted.**

_Okay. Good night._

**Whatever.**

Lynn just ignored the dragon and got comfortable, before shutting her eyes and allowing sleep to claim her.

* * *

Verse 4

By the time the sun rose, Lynn had already snuck back into her hotel room, so as to avoid suspicion. When she came in, she was pleased to note that everything was just as she had left it. Not that she'd expected company, but she was still cautious and barely left any of her personal possessions in an unprotected hotel room. Despite that, she did leave small trinkets that meant nothing to her, but which would be able to prove if anyone had been messing with her things.

Tucking those items back in her bag, she finally began to walk downstairs. Because the key to hiding out in the open is to not act suspicious. As she stepped down the last steps however, a shudder ran through her mind and she paused for a moment, but then walked on.

But despite that, she slowly looked around for whatever she had felt just then.

And then her eyes fell on the brown-haired man that had been walking in just as she had walked down the stairs. His stare was aimed right at her, making her focus on the intense yellow, almost dragon-like, eyes that seemed to be gazing right into her soul, and then upon the scar that ran over his face, hardly as disfiguring as one might think. It almost made her want to reach up and finger her own scar.

For a moment or so, the two only stood and stared, but then they simultaneously looked away and went their own way once more. After all, they had nothing to say to each other.

* * *

Verse 5

Tristan was silent as he walked toward where the innkeeper stood, attending to a few guests. Just the thought of being in that town made him feel sick with revulsion, but he repressed the urge to puke and just focused on the task at hand. The merchants had delivered nearly all of their food supplies to the inn, resulting in there not being enough for both him, his partner, and Nowe. So he was advised to speak to the innkeeper.

But he hadn't expected to run into another with a pact. The pact was young, he could tell, but he could not say to what that girl had given her heart. Because, while she looked to be in her early twenties, she had the look of a lost child in her eyes. He could tell, because he'd often seen it in his own eyes.

However, he was not about to pry into another's business. It wasn't his concern whether she had a pact-beast or not.

* * *

Verse 6

By the time he left the inn, he was carrying a bag with more than enough supplies for all of them. It had hardly taken him that long to get what he needed; his partner had joked he'd be able to charm the Emperor of his crown if he wanted to.

Well, perhaps 'charm' wasn't the proper word for it, but you get the point.

There were many people in the city that looked at him curiously when he passed, but he never actually gave them the time to properly look at him. Only a few people were allowed to do that, and these people were not included on that list.

_Dragon._

**Hmm?**

_I got the supplies. I'll be back in a bit._

**Very well… Did anyone recognize you?**

_No. You think I'd give them the chance?_

**Hm. Good point.**

And with that, both cut the connection and Tristan continued through the city solemnly. The villagers barely gave them a second glance. Not that he gave them a chance to have one, that is. Sure, they tried, but Tristan merely walked past and ignored all the looks the people gave him.

He hadn't seen the other pact partner again after his business had concluded. Not that he wanted to see her, but he still wondered what one was doing in such a place. The Nation was not a place for people with a pact. They were fairly easily taken advantage of these days.

Not that he really cared, though.

Shaking the thought aside, he made his way out of town and toward where his partner and Nowe would be waiting.

It wouldn't do to keep them waiting.

* * *

Verse 7

As the night grew colder, Tristan settled against his dragon's side, and even Nowe was allowed to stick close to the dragon, so that at least he wouldn't freeze to death. Nowe made sure to not get too close to Tristan, as the other man did not like the company of other humans too much. He wasn't about to question the younger brunette, knowing that everyone had their own reasons for everything.

Though he had been a bit surprised that Tristan had managed to secure plenty of food for them all, he wasn't about to question him. Considering where they were. Nowe couldn't really bring himself to care about where the food had come from.

Still, Nowe wished he could have helped Tristan with it. Of course, there was that tiny problem with him being a wanted man by the Nation. Tristan could get away with walking through the city, no doubt, but if Nowe tried that, he'd be arrested before he could blink. Well, maybe not that fast, but he still wasn't about to try.

Things had been quiet for them, but none of them were about to drop their guard. That was a sure way to get killed, after all.

Looking over to Tristan, Nowe couldn't help but wonder. There was an expression on his face that was a little familiar to him, but he couldn't exactly place it. Or maybe that was just because he resembled Caim so much. The resemblance between them was almost scary, and the look he had had on his face when he had jumped out to battle…

That had nearly scared him out of his mind. It was just _too_ much like Caim…

* * *

Verse 8

There was barely enough light coming from the lantern he held to guide him, but he should be able to managed at least until he reached his destination. Whatever that was. He had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, like he had been in a similar situation before. Had he? He couldn't recall too well…

It was cold. The surrounding area that was lit by his lantern was white, and it crunched below his feet. The trees around seemed unaffected by the weather, but they were different from any other tree he had ever seen. They looked like they had been shaped specifically to resemble pikes, and it made him wonder.

Why wasn't he surprised at what he saw, anyway?

Still, he was determined to not let it bother him and just kept walking. He felt like he was supposed to, anyway. He remained walking, even if there was no road for him to follow; he seemed to know exactly where he was going to. The darkness hid almost everything from view, but that meant very little.

For a long time, he just walked, without actually knowing where he was going. Not that it mattered, really.

But then he paused. The white of the path had been stained. Stained with a dark red color.

Silently, he began to follow it, keeping his lantern high so that he could see where he was walking. Last thing he needed was to run into something that stood in his path. Not that he expected anything to appear, but despite that, it still wouldn't do if something _did_ pop up.

And then he stopped, suddenly feeling cold.

His mouth moved, but no sound was coming out. His hand was shaking, threatening to drop the lantern he held. His eyes were both burning and wet, a combination he had only felt once before.

Unable to speak, he ran over to the figure lying on the ground, dropping down to his knees beside them and one hand on the figure's shoulder before he could rethink his actions. The heat greeting his hand caused him to wince and pull back. But then his hand was reaching out again, flipping the figure almost hesitantly onto their back.

Empty, glassy eyes stared up at the skies, an expression of pain on their face, which was also stained with that same red liquid. He couldn't bring himself to look away, even as his hand left red streaks over the figure's cheek as his fingers moved to caress it. He had never seen this person before, but something in his mind said that he _did_ know who it was…

He tried to speak, but only one word managed to come out of his mouth…

* * *

Tristan's eyes snapped open almost instinctively, blinking several times, before he managed to calm a little. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a moment longer, before letting it out slowly. Once his heart had calmed down a little, he became aware of the salty tears that were running down his face. With a frown, he reached up and quickly wiped them away, not even knowing _why_ he was crying to begin with.

That dream… why did it bother him so?

The face of whoever he had seen was quickly fading from memory, and the word he had used to address that person did so just as fast, if not faster. All he remembered was that it had been someone he knew, very well…

**You alright, little one?**

Tristan sighed softly. _Not really…_

**…You want to talk about it?**

_No… thanks anyway…_

His partner didn't offer again, which he had expected. And even if she had, he wouldn't talk about it anyway. He just wasn't ready for it at that point. He wasn't even sure what half of his dreams meant. Were they trying to tell him something?

Were they memories? Or were they simply things he feared?

He really didn't know.

But… why did he feel like he had forgotten something extremely important…?


	26. Chapter 25: Reality :plus a MiniContest:

Alright, I'm sure a lot of people were waiting for this to happen.

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* * *

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**Chapter 25: Reality**

Verse 1

By the time morning came, they were already well underway north, making sure to not be noticed by the Nation. The darkness managed to hide them both, considering the coloring of them both. Still, just that was no reason to get sloppy. They'd still have to be careful to not fly into any of the Nation's airships. That was the last thing they needed at that point

Most people had still been asleep when they'd decided to leave with only a few exceptions, like the baker, and a few others who wanted freshly baked bread for breakfast. But other than those few people, it was fairly easy for them not to be seen.

They preferred it that way…

* * *

**So, any ideas on where to go next?** Morcion asked simply, not showing too much interest.

_Not really. I don't know the exact location of the Goddess, but she should be up north…_

Morcion snorted, but Lynn just ignored it. She wasn't really in the mood for another argument. They'd argued through most of the night, before they had both fallen asleep in the end. Well, she had. She wasn't sure about Morcion, since dragons didn't need that much rest like humans.

Lynn was just glad she could walk properly, since she hadn't gotten all that much sleep because of that argument. She didn't even remember what it was about. But she did remember mumbling something about them acting like husband and wife, or something…

Reaching up and adjusting her ribbon, she took a moment to stretch, before asking: "Was wondering… just how old are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…"

Lynn merely rolled her eyes. Somehow, she wasn't really all that surprised he responded like that.

* * *

Verse 2

The further north they came, the colder it became. Lynn had been wise enough to buy a different cloak, which was included with a hood, and had also purchased some gloves. She also had warmer clothing with her, but it was a bit hard to change on the back of a dragon. At the end of the second day, she had indeed changed into those clothes. She might not be able to feel the cold, but that didn't mean she couldn't get sick because of it.

Also, she was definitely NOT a fan of the color white.

All the snow was making her eyes hurt, and she couldn't wait to be back down further south. She couldn't remember the last time it had ever snowed this much when she was a child. Then again, there was little she COULD remember from her childhood.

**Hmph. This weather is almost not normal…** Morcion grumbled. Clearly, the snow was limiting his flying a bit.

_Well, if you want to hoof it…_

**Like hell!**

She smirked a little. If there was one thing she had learned very quickly about her partner, it was that he had a bit of a mouth on him, for a dragon. Lynn couldn't be sure of other dragons, but she doubted most of them were this badmouthed.

**Oh great…**

_Huh?_

**Look ahead of you…**

As soon as she did, she understood what he meant. It seemed the Nation's army had beaten them to this place. The skies were literally littered with both airships and zeppelins. Not to mention several airplanes, which would definitely provide problems for them.

_Great… well. We came all the way out here… We may as well have some fun, right?_

She could _feel_ Morcion grinning through their link. **Now you're talking! Let's blow these fools to hell!**

* * *

Verse 3

The zeppelins were easy to handle. The airships were a little harder. And the airplanes were just plain annoying. They just moved too fast at points for Morcion to follow, forcing the black dragon to spin around so that they wouldn't be shot from behind.

**Dammit! How'm I supposed to hit those hellish contraptions!**

Lynn snarled, keeping an eye on one of the planes while thinking up some way to do this. She had never understood planes that much. They had wings that didn't need to flap in order to keep them up in the air, made a god awful lot of noise, and fired way too many shots at once. Even so, what kept those things in the air?

She probably blinked once, but it was enough. _Morcion! That thing on the plane's nose! Shoot that!_

**Eh? What's that gonna do!**

_Just shut up and do it!_

**Okay, okay!**

Not questioning his partner any further, Morcion spun around and rushed straight for one of the planes. He could tell its rider was both surprised and shocked at what he was doing, but the dragon couldn't really care. Instead, he took careful aim on the circle-like object on the front of the plane, before firing a homing shot at it.

The plane tried to avoid it, of course, but there was no avoiding it, and the blast of fire slammed right into it. Morcion yowled a little as the blast blew the circle off of the plane and nearly into his wings, but then he laughed when he saw the smoke coming from the plane even as it lost altitude. Lynn whooped, laughing as they easily dodged the next plane.

_Heheh… shall we?_

**Thought you'd never ask!**

And with that thought, Morcion spun around and fried several more zeppelins, and the last battleship, before focusing his attention solely on the airplanes. Now that they had figured out how to do this, this had become a whole lot easier.

However…

_Morcion! Left!_

**Eh? WAH!**

The dragon instantly flapped his wings to avoid the blasts of fire aimed for his wing. However, the force of his propulsion accidentally sent him into a barrel roll, which his partner had not expected. And as such…

"GYAAH!"

"SHIT!"

Morcion quickly evaded the shot aimed for his head, before folding his wings against his body quickly and diving after his partner.

* * *

Lynn hadn't expected Morcion to barrel roll like that, and hadn't been able to latch onto him in time. So yeah, she hadn't been overly surprised that she fell, but that didn't mean she wasn't fricking scared out of her mind. She knew all too well that a fall from that altitude would surely kill her, even with the pact price she had paid.

And seeing as she didn't want to die, panic gripped her mind far stronger than anything else and she, as such, found herself unable to move, or even scream. Shutting her eyes tightly, Lynn didn't want to see what was about to happen.

But when nothing happened, she dared to look out, and was more than a little surprised to find herself trapped in one of Morcion's claws.

**Damn it! Why are you ALWAYS such a bother!**

Lynn growled. "It's not like I fell on PURPOSE, you bastard!"

"Oh, like it was my fault you didn't hold on!"

Their argument continued even as Morcion continued frying every airplane that came at them.

* * *

Verse 4

As the skies calmed down, the duo found themselves within a nearby forest, taking a small break to gather their wits after their small near-death experience. Not that either voiced that they needed it. In fact, the only thing they voiced were the constant arguments.

And those continued on for a long time even when the fighting ended. Lynn wasn't even thinking about what she was saying as she assessed the few injuries Morcion had sustained during the fight. They still kept blaming each other for the small stunt from a while back, even though they both knew it was a combination of both. They were just too stubborn to admit it.

Suddenly she paused as she felt a ripple through her mind. _…did you…?_

Morcion snarled. **Another with a pact… close by…**

Lynn said nothing, before she stood slowly, bringing out her wave swords. _I'll check it out…_

**Be careful…**

She nodded once, before she started moving further into the forest, not even looking into the change in demeanor with either of them. This was normal, after all.

* * *

Verse 5

Being a former mercenary, it was easy enough to sneak around without being spotted. Not that it would matter. If she could sense that person with a pact, said person would be able to sense her as well. Still, it was necessary, in case there were Nation's soldiers around.

No sooner had that thought registered did screams ring out through the forest. Wincing a little at the sound, Lynn began to run toward it, more than a little curious. She wondered if she was dealing with the Nation or with the Union. But whichever it was, she had no intention of joining either one.

But before she could think of anything else, she stopped dead, mouth dropping open in horror.

* * *

The scene before her was nothing short of a bloody mess. The once pristine snow was stained a blood red, some sections a dark black, and at least 20 Nation soldiers lay sprawled around, while several more had remained standing. Not that that lasted long, because even as several bursts of fire slammed into them, which did very little, as a broadsword lashed out and savagely ripped them in half in a single hit.

Blood splattered everywhere even as the remaining soldiers hit the ground, staining the snow even further. Only a single figure remained standing, gripping the massive sword in a single hand as if it was nothing, a heavy cloak hiding their features almost completely. There was no way Lynn could not sense the malice that was literally oozing from this person, the sheer hatred and anger pouring off of them in waves.

And then the figure raised their head and Lynn gulped. _Um… Morcion?_

**What!**

_Did… the Nation say anything about some guy with a broadsword to be wary of?_

**Eh? Uh… no. Not really. But I do remember some rumors about the Union's "Demon".**

_Ah._

**Why are you asking?**

_…I think I found that Demon…_

**WHAT?**

But Lynn wasn't even given the chance to respond as she yowled and dived to the side to avoid several bursts of fire. 'Damn! That guy's got magic too! Great!'

Snarling softly, she brought up her swords and ran for this so-called 'demon' easily jumping over the first swing before lashing out with her own swords. The guy instantly dashed to the side, altering the swipe of his sword, though Lynn just barely managed to block it with one sword. Because this guy was definitely stronger than most.

It took a bit to realize that this was the guy with the pact she'd picked up earlier. That would at least explain some of the guy's power, but not all of it.

Snarling, Lynn lashed out with her other sword, but the guy just stepped back quickly to avoid the swipe, and lashed out upward, making Lynn arch her back until she had to somersault away. There was no denying that this guy was fast, and very experienced. She'd expected as much, but still, she was not about to give in so easily.

The guy surprised her by chuckling softly, before he roared out and rushed straight for her. Lynn would've called him mad, if she hadn't experienced his strength first hand. Blocking the first hit with both blades, she finally went on the offensive, giving it her all to, hopefully, survive this battle.

Every time their blades clashed, the ringing of metal striking metal echoed through the forest and her ears, as she tried to get at least one hit in before she could be hit. Not that she'd notice, but she still had no intention of getting herself cut up.

Then she noticed something as they locked blades again. The guy was… grinning. And that grin nearly scared her.

It was almost the same as the solar demon's grin, which indeed gave this impression like this guy was a demon himself. She shuddered for merely a second, but that one second was more than enough. Lynn could only just jump back from the massive sideways slash, while she aimed a slash uppercut at the guy.

Neither seemed to care at the sound of ripping cloth, before Lynn yowled and tripped over a body she had overlooked. She could only just roll out of the way as the guy slashed down at where she had been moments before, before she leapt up and lashed out with one blade at the same time as he thrust forward with his blade.

* * *

Verse 6

Silence fell over the forest once more, the snow stained red with Nation soldiers' blood. The multiple bodies would've made anyone sick, if the smell hadn't already. And yet two figures remained standing, almost as if they had been frozen in time. Both had similar looks of shock and surprise on their faces, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

One of them was a woman with shoulder length, curled, dark red, almost black hair and poisonous green eyes, a scar on her face only just missing her hairline and chin, wielding a set of pronged wave swords, of which one was mere millimeters away from the other figure's throat, threatening to break through the skin if the other even dared to swallow.

The second was a woman with chin length, straight, fire red hair with two bright orange/yellow strakes running through it and eyes the color of the deepest ocean, a massive bloodstained broadsword clutched in both hands, aimed right at the first's chest, barely an inch away from her chest, daring her to breathe too hard and allow the tip to pierce through the skin.

Both females couldn't bring themselves to make that final motion. The one slice or stab that would end this fight. Neither could bring themselves to move, eyes not once straying from the other's face, as if even moving their eyes would prove to be fatal.

For the longest time, neither moved, and barely seemed to be breathing except for the short pants for breath from their 'little scuffle', small puffs of white coming from them both.

Slowly, their mouths began to move, but no sounds came out. Neither could manage to say a single thing, but they both knew very well what they attempted to say, because they both wished for it to be true and not some kind of illusion or dream.

"…Angelina?"

"…Madelynn?"

* * *

******Okay, I'm curious… If any of you feel up to this; write a small story about what would happen if one of the two (or both) actually moved those two inches or more to kill the other. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I'm curious to see what others think would happen.**


	27. Chapter 26: Family

**I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in forever. I've been working on two chapters at once, and then I got stuck in my TWEWY and CT fandom. Hard to get out of either of them.**

**Well, anyway! Here's chapter 26!**

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* * *

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**Chapter 26: Family**

Verse 1

As the day began, Nowe snorted a bit sleepily before he even bothered to open his eyes. As he let his gaze sweep over their hideout, he noticed that Tristan was already sitting by the fire, munching on a piece of fruit. Nowe allowed a smile and sat up, stretching his sore muscles a bit.

Tristan was an interesting young man, that was a fact. He rarely ever spoke, but that was fine. Nowe had gotten good at learning important things about people by observing what they did. And Tristan was a person whose actions were louder than his words.

Though he definitely didn't despise eating meat, he preferred fruits and vegetables he could get from near their hideout. The long sword he carried with him was only with him when he was searching for intruders or inside. He never took it along if he went out to scour for food, unless he was actually hunting, of course. When it started getting colder, he would start to inch closer to his pact partner.

They were all little things that told a lot about the silent man.

But one thing had been pretty easy to figure out. Tristan's not-so-hidden love for apples. If they were ever in a village, you could bet all your money on Tristan getting at least a dozen apples. Sure, he shared them with Nowe and his dragon, but he had obviously gotten them for himself.

So whenever it was Nowe's turn to find something to eat from either a village or the woods, he made sure to look for apples on the way. Tristan never said it, but he clearly appreciated it.

Nowe finally stood up and walked over to the fire, rubbing his neck in an attempt to get the kink out.

As he plopped down, Tristan silently pushed the bowl of fruit his way. "Thanks," Nowe said with a nod, picking one and starting to eat without another word.

It was a quiet arrangement they had, but for now, Nowe was content with it.

* * *

Verse 2

Things were quiet, but they had learned to not take that for granted. Both of them knew that the Nation was still at large, and that's why they had to wait until nightfall to leave. Scouring for food was difficult enough without being caught, and leaving would be all the more harder. The day was spent in silence, though Nowe wondered if Tristan was actually talking to the red dragon without him knowing.

In the end, the silence became too much and he decided to open his mouth.

"Tristan?" The young man blinked, looking up curiously, though his face kept a look of indifference, just the same. "Sorry if I'm speaking out of line… but why are you even here? I mean, what reason do you have to oppose the Nation on your own?"

And for the first time since Nowe had known Tristan, a surge of emotions other than anger at the Nation flashed across his face. If he had to describe it in as few words as possible, Nowe's choice would consist of fear, distress and anger combined into one. There was no other way to describe it, he felt.

For the longest time, Tristan was absolutely silent, but then he turned away solemnly. Nowe had a feeling he wasn't going to get an answer, and he didn't press any further, figuring it was a touchy subject for Tristan. But he hadn't been able to stop the question, since it had been bothering him for a while now. People don't jump into battle for no reason, after all.

However, before he could tell Tristan to forget it…

"…They took me away from all I ever knew…"

Nowe blinked, before it seemed to register what Tristan was saying. "From everything you…? You mean they took you from your family?"

Tristan didn't respond right away, but the dragon moved her snout closer and gave a small rumble. The brunette reached over and gently rubbed the dragon's scaly snout, before he opened his mouth again. "…I can barely remember their faces… but the Nation… all they saw in me was a weapon… an object that could be thrown out whenever they didn't need it any longer…"

Nowe winced at the thought. No human should feel like they were merely an object. That was just wrong…

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked," Nowe said, looking down at the ground.

"…Don't bother…" Tristan replied simply.

Nowe never asked again.

* * *

Verse 3

Tristan kept his eyes shut, but he couldn't sleep. Nowe's questions had brought up the few memories he still had. Not that it was much, but it was enough, for now. The only thing he really wanted, was to find the remains of his family.

**Can't sleep again, can you?**

He allowed a small smile. _Am I that obvious, Carnesira?_

**More than you'll ever know.** the dragon replied, a small chuckle escaping her at the mention of her own name. He rarely ever called her by name, and even when he did, it was only in his mind and never out loud, for he considered it a gift from her to him.

_Memories…_ he confessed. _I can barely see them… but I can still feel it… Vividly… but I can…_

Carnesira hummed softly, though it came out more like a rumble. The sound both soothed him and vibrated through him. Smiling softly, he relaxed his body, allowing the gentle rumble to lull him into sleep.

Surrounded by memories.

* * *

Verse 4

Coiled up together, they slept peacefully, their arms slung around each other to protect the other from the cold. The soft blankets they were lying on were old and worn, but it was better than the ground, at least. One extra blanket covered them, the ends clutched in one hand and secured around them as a guard against the wind blowing past them.

A sleepy snort rumbled from one of them, and, slowly, pale yellow eyes flittered open. Shaking his head a bit, he looked around carefully, scanning the surroundings. Once no danger was detected, his hands moved and shook the other's shoulder.

Growling, the other blinked open dark eyes, before yawning widely.

"…morning?" she growled out, rubbing at her eyes. He merely stretched and let out a loud yawn himself.

They both got up silently, shivering at the cold. It would be much colder soon, they knew, but they should be fine, since they were always together. Shaking their heads as one, they instantly bounded off and rushed down the halls, silent as they ran around, trying to find something to eat.

Survival was their top priority.

* * *

Both of them were gazing eagerly at their prizes, mouths watering at the thought of a good meal in what had to be several days. Looking at each other, they allowed a grin, before they snapped forward, digging their teeth viciously into the small rabbits they had captured, blood splattering all over them, but neither really caring.

They were hungry and all that mattered was filling their tummy.

* * *

Verse 5

Soft words whispered into his ear as he stood there… he didn't know where he was, but he knew he couldn't stay. And so he ran.

Under the crimson that lit the skies and barely realizing how silent the world was. No birds sang, no animals called, and no man shouted out. He knew it was a dream now, it had to be. He could almost hear the wingbeats of a dragon ringing in his ears, frantic as if they were attempting to flee. Or perhaps rush into battle, he couldn't be sure.

Suddenly he stopped running, as he noticed someone up ahead. The person was fighting with such fervor that it was almost frightening, but it didn't seem to bother him that much. Perhaps it was the blood red sun rising behind the figure, giving them a mysterious air.

Whatever it was, it drew him closer. And so he ran.

He didn't even notice he was running through dark red pools of blood. He opened his mouth to shout out, but before he could, he let out a scream of pain and fell down when it felt like his back was about to split right open.

He forced his head up and let out a roar of rage when he saw the other fighter fall.

* * *

Verse 6

Tristan's eyes snapped open in panic, pupils dilated to such extents his eyes appeared to be black, until they slowly contracted again. Looking around slowly, it took him a few moments to understand what was going on, before he managed to calm down enough to keep his heart rate under control. Looking up, he knew that, while Carnesira had noticed, she was playing dumb and acted like she was still asleep.

Allowing a small sigh, he closed his eyes again and tried to remember the figure he had seen. But he found the information slipping from his mind, making him sigh softly. It was always like that; he always forgot the most important details of his dreams.

A small sigh escaped his lips, as he reached up for his neck and lightly fingered the pitch black choker secured there. The one thing he had cherished had been the one thing that he should've been able to live without. But apparently, it wasn't that easy to go without something like that. So he just tried to remember and merely mouthed the words, even if they'd never be able to leave his mouth the way they would've before.

"My prayer carries vestiges of you… And transports feelings that color my soul… I will grow wings and escape from love… and I will burn over a strange plate that an angel broke… and be exhausted…"

And as if that was enough, he began to drift off again.

* * *

Verse 7

By the time that Tristan awoke, he could tell that Nowe was already up and about. Standing up, he looked around the cave, and then noticed Nowe standing by the entrance again. By the looks of things, it was still night, and Tristan already had an idea what the brunette was looking at. Walking over, he looked up to the skies and nodded softly upon the absence of the moon.

"…thinking of your own family?" Tristan asked suddenly. He didn't usually pry, but he had this feeling that told him Nowe could be trusted.

Nowe blinked a little oddly, before he smiled. "Just my father… he's all I ever had anyway."

"…must've been hard."

"Not really," Nowe admitted. "We managed to get by. Even though we weren't related by blood." When Tristan looked at Nowe strangely, Nowe bit his lip in thought, before he decided it wouldn't hurt. "You see, I was raised by a dragon."

The surprise on Tristan's face was expected. "…by a dragon? How… no, better yet, why?"

"He found me in the canyon that was his home when I was just a baby," Tristan explained. "And… he considered me his responsibility since I somehow wound up there."

"…I see…"

Nowe didn't speak for a moment, before he chuckled, remembering something else. "You know… when I was still a little kid, I always believed that someday I'd grow wings like my father and learn to fly just like him."

Tristan looked at him for a moment, and then he did something he'd never done in Nowe's presence before; he laughed softly. "Well… considering the circumstances, it's not _that_ strange," he got out amidst his chuckles.

"I guess so," Nowe admitted, smiling. But after a moment, his smile faded. "…I really miss him, though."

Tristan looked at him for a moment, before asking: "He's dead…?"

"Yeah… a long time ago… he… he and I… had a falling out, I suppose. And we… well…"

Upon those words, Tristan really did look surprised. In fact, he seemed almost dumb struck. "You… defeated… a dragon… by yourself!"

Nowe smiled sadly. "Sounds unreal, huh? But… I suppose you could say I'm not your average human…"

"So you are the boy that Legna took in, then?"

Nowe winced at the sudden voice, while Tristan merely turned to his pact partner. "…did we wake you?" he asked.

"No."

Nowe turned to the dragon slowly, almost cautiously. "…you knew my father?"

"Hmph. Only a few of our kind do not know of that fool. Attempting to raise a human like that… he must've been out of his mind," the dragon said simply.

At this point, Nowe looked almost scared. "Then… then you also know… about…"

"About you? Yes. But I really don't concern myself with such matters. I leave that to those who truly know what they are doing," she said as if it wasn't that important. "Not all dragons should concern themselves with the race's survival. That is one of the few things humans and dragons have in common."

"…I see…" Nowe said slowly.

Tristan looked at the red dragon in question, but neither of the two spoke. Out loud at least. After a moment, Tristan turned away to look outside the cave. Clearly, whatever conversation they'd had was over now.

Nowe didn't question it, figuring it wasn't his right to ask about it.

"…what happened to your real parents…?"

Nowe blinked, twice. That was actually a question that he hadn't been expecting. Not that he knew how to answer, mind you. Legna had never said anything about his real parents, and Nowe had never asked. He just assumed that they had wanted nothing to do with him, but now, he was starting to wonder…

"Honestly? I don't know," Nowe admitted. "We never talked about it that much when Legna was still alive… But, surely, if they had cared, they wouldn't have left me there, would they?"

"…that depends…"

"…? On what?"

"…circumstances…"

That was all Tristan said about it, and Nowe didn't bother asking for more information.

"So… where do you intend to go next?" he asked instead.

Tristan's answer was simple and straightforward.

"…wherever the winds will take us…"


	28. Chapter 27: Truth

Okay, I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in like forever, but I've been busy with work, and, while I do have most of the story sorted out by now, I was stuck on how to do this chapter so as to get this story where I want it to go. I managed, for now, so I'll TRY to work on the next chapter.

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* * *

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**Chapter 27: Truth**

Verse 1

If anyone had come by at that specific time, they probably thought they had been frozen solid in this cold environment, and she wouldn't blame those people. Lina was a bit surprised she hadn't moved at all. Hell, she'd been surprised she'd been able to stop her downward thrust when she had. Had this been any other time, she would not have been able to stop.

Then again, it wasn't everyday that she fought the one person she had ever seriously considered to be her friend. Not that it had been easy to tell, but, somehow, she knew who this person was. Yet it didn't change their situation at this point.

And for a moment, she'd thought she'd made a mistake, as she had attempted to speak, though no words came out (obviously). What had surprised her, though, was what she saw the other woman say.

"…Angelina?"

When was the last time she'd been called that? Only a few people had called her that when she was still a child, one of them being Nowe. Manah had shortened her name soon after, not that she had bothered.

Lina didn't even realize she'd mouthed her friend's name at the same time as she had. They had both changed over the years, to such extents that they were almost unrecognizable, and yet they had somehow managed to recognize each other in the midst of battle.

Mentally shaking it off, both of them finally moved; pulling back their weapons so that moving wouldn't actually kill either of them.

"Is… is it really you? You… you're…" Madelynn whispered, clearly still a bit in shock from what had just happened. Not that Lina could actually blame her. She was having difficulty herself with dealing with this.

Opening her mouth, Lina began to speak - then snapped her jaw shut when only growls came out.

Madelynn winced at the sound, clearly surprised. "Wha…? A-Angelina?"

Sighing, Lina reached out to Madelynn with her mind, since the other clearly had a pact as well.

_The price for my pact was my ability to speak the human language._

When Madelynn blinked, Lina stuck out her tongue. "Oh! I see." Allowing a bitter smile, Madelynn rolled up one of her sleeves, and Lina gasped at the amount of black markings covering her arms. "My price was my ability to feel. I can no longer feel pain, nor can I feel heat or cold. A double-edged price, I suppose…"

Lina nodded in understanding. _Feeling no pain can be a blessing, but also a curse… because you can no longer tell where your limits are placed._

"Sounds like someone polished up on her experience," Madelynn chuckled out, and Lina found herself doing the same.

'…I haven't laughed in years, and now Madelynn comes back and suddenly…' Shaking the thought away, she turned back to the business at hand. _What are you doing here?_

"What am **I** doing here? What are YOU doing here! I thought you were staying with Nowe and Manah!"

Lina fell silent at that, before she turned away.

"…Something I said?"

_…I'd rather not talk about it._

"Oh… okay. I get it. Won't ask again. …but can I ask you one thing?" When Lina turned to face her friend, she asked: "Why did you pick up a sword?"

* * *

Verse 2

As soon as she asked the question, Lynn had a feeling that was another 'Don't ask' questions. But she just couldn't help herself. The last time she'd seen her friend all those years ago, she stated plainly that she would never wield a sword. Angelina had always hated fighting, even if she never forced that belief upon others. It had always been something she'd admired about her friend, but also something she had envied for the longest time. Because she'd believed that even if the world went to war, Angelina would never find herself trapped in that struggle.

Yet here she was. Donned in armor and carrying a massive broadsword that Lynn could never dream to carry in one hand like Angelina was doing.

Speaking of, even with her armor on and the cloak covering her, Lynn could tell that Angelina's body had become more toned and muscular. Quite possibly, it wouldn't be hard to confuse her with a man if you had no idea who she was.

_…A lot of things happened._

And Lynn took that as a sign that said 'Don't even dare to ask again'.

"Okay… consider the case dropped, Angelina."

_Lina._

"…eh?"

_I haven't been called anything else in years. And I'd rather not be called anything but._

"Oh… well I haven't been called anything but 'Lynn' the past few years… guess we're a good match then, eh?"

Lina chuckled softly, shaking her head.

_Oh geez… NOW look what you made me do!_

"Huh?"

_Never mind… Anyway, you never answered; what are you doing here?_

"Oh right. I came here looking for the Goddess," Lynn confessed. This was Angelina, after all; her best, and probably only true, friend. "There's something I needed to discuss with her… about the Nation."

Lina said nothing, before she frowned.

_Something like what exactly?_

"…The real reason the Nation is after her."

* * *

Verse 3

Lina blinked several times. The _real_ reason? So they weren't just after breaking the seal and getting their hands on the Seeds of Resurrection, like Eris had said?

_What are you talking about?_

"I'm sorry Lina… I can't discuss that with you. I-"

_I won't let you close to Eris without a valid reason. If you wish to tell her the reason, you'll have to tell me first._

"…Eris?"

_She is the current Goddess… and a close friend of Nowe and Manah. I will not let anything endanger her life again._

Lynn stared in horror. "You… you're with the Union!"

_…I suppose you could say I lead them._

"You… you WHAT?" She hadn't meant for it to sound so disbelieving, but it was how she felt. And she was starting to have her doubts about the woman before her. Was this really the friend she hadn't seen in nearly a decade, if not longer? Yet as she looked at the woman, Lynn knew that, like herself, her friend had undergone changes that were at least as harsh as her own had been.

She had no right to judge her now…

Lina didn't even bother to repeat what she had just said, and merely stared her friend down solemnly. The look on her face was one of grim determination. She wasn't going to back down.

After a long moment, Lynn sighed heavily.

"…Don't got much of a choice, do I?"

_No._

"…Fine. It this is what it takes…"

* * *

Verse 4

At the same time, Morcion growled as he flew over the forest. The skies had been cleared long ago, so there was no problem. However, there was one problem that proved to be more annoying; he could not land anywhere remotely _near_ his pact partner. The trees were two crowded together and he wasn't really in the mood to attract even more attention by burning the woods down.

"Goddammit! How'm I supposed to get in!" he snarled out.

"And you still have troubles with that temper of yours, don't you?"

Morcion nearly dropped from the air at that voice, spinning around in midair. "Wha-y-y-y-you?"

The silver dragon merely chuckled, easily using his own wings to stay airborne. Despite the obvious changes in appearance, to Morcion, there was no mistaking just who he was.

"You-you're-"

"Don't speak my name where the humans can hear it," the silver dragon said simply before his own name could leave the black dragon's mouth.

"Eh?"

"Answer me; what are you doing here?" demanded the silver dragon, voice burning with a combination of anger and disgust.

Morcion fell silent for a moment. He was well aware that if he dared to lie to the other dragon, he'd be dead. Morcion had been considered as one of the strongest black dragons, but there was no way he would be able to face off against a silver dragon, the true descendants of the White Dragons.

"…I turned my back on the Nation," Morcion said at last. "I grew sick of what they did and decided it was high time to make my leave."

Keeping his eyes on the other dragon, Morcion thought for sure he'd be called a liar, but instead…

"And in doing so, you made a pact with a human?"

Eyes wide in surprise, Moricon fell silent for a moment or so, before he said: "You don't know what the Emperor does to those who betray him… He may not be the strongest in body, but surely his mind is one of the most horrid things I have ever come across. He doesn't just kill because it's necessary… but because he _enjoys_ it! I had no other choice but to make a pact with that girl!"

The silver dragon still did not look happy, but before Morcion could attempt to appeal to him again…

_Morcion!_

**Buh?**

_Don't you "buh" me! We gotta go! I'm heading to the edge of the forest! Meet me there!_

**Okay, okay! Fine! Esh! Grumpy little human…**

_I HEARD THAT!_

**Gah! Loud too.**

Morcion ignored the mental growl, before he clapped his wings. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta fly!" he quipped, before taking off toward the edge that he knew his partner was referring to. That was one good thing about forming a pact, he figured; you didn't have be that specific with directions.

* * *

Verse 5

Lina didn't even have to look back to know that Lynn was right on her tail. Halfway through Lynn's explanation, Isaac had called out to her to tell her that the Nation was coming at them from the west. Which was not good, since they'd have to get out of the godforsaken forest and then fly all the way there.

Luckily, as Lynn had said; the skies should be empty now. And judging from what her partner had just told her, that left little doubt about Lynn's pact partner. There was no time to confirm it, though; right now, they had to run and hurry back. With both the ground and the sky cleared, they should have limited troubles with getting back.

_Keep them busy until we get back!_ she called out to Isaac.

_{{We'll do our best… but I would definitely appreciate the help here!}}_

Lina smirked lightly at how Isaac had managed to stop fretting every time he killed a soldier of the Nation, though he still wasn't at the level of apathy that Lina was at.

Not that she really cared.

The two girls cleared the forest in roughly 10 minutes, and while Lynn panted a little for breath, Lina kept her breathing steady, despite how hard her heart was pounding at that point. It was something she had learned to do over time, and it helped when fighting, since the enemy couldn't easily tell that she was getting tired. She couldn't always pull it off, though.

Just then, a single dragon smashed down next to them, and while normally, Lina wouldn't have jumped like she had, the color of its scales nearly had her attacking it.

'A black dragon!'

"What the heck took you so long!" Lynn shouted as she came over, a ticked off look on her face.

"Well excuuuuse me for trying to find the _proper_ edge of the forest!" the dragon snarled back.

Lina blinked a bit when Lynn started to bicker with the much larger creature even as she walked over and clambered onto his back. Lina didn't question it, and just walked over and solemnly climbed up behind Lynn when the other redhead gestured for her to do so.

Even as the dragon rose up into the air, he didn't stop arguing with Lynn at all.

To be honest, Lina found it a bit amusing.

_Do you two always argue when you're flying?_ she asked after a while.

Lynn stopped mid-curse and blinked back at her old friend. "Eh? Oh… at times… does it bother you?" Lina merely shook her head. "You sure?"

When Lina rolled her eyes, Lynn's mouth twitched a bit, before she turned back ahead as Morcion snorted, their argument dropped for the moment. "Which way do we go?" Morcion asked simply after a while.

_There are two more with a pact at our camp. You can use them as guide points._

Morcion didn't question Lina's voice as it echoed through his and Lynn's head, scanning the area briefly before he located them and rushed forward in that direction.

"…Lina, where is your partner?"

_He'll be there. Just focus on getting to the camp for now._

"…Alright."

* * *

Verse 6

The army was definitely less than the previous few times, but nonetheless it was a force to be reckoned with. They had not only soldiers and archers, but also several monsters joining them. The Nation was not pulling any punches at this point.

Not that the Union wasn't going all-out mind you.

Seul coiled his back to avoid a lash aimed at his head, kicking up his leg and striking the soldier to his chin, sending him backwards. And by slamming his foot back down, he brought his body back upright in the same instant.

Curling his hands into fists, Seul briefly looked over towards Isaac even as more soldiers rushed at him.

Said man was barely holding off a few soldiers, at the same time, though just before they could strike him, Irei jumped into the fray and ripped one of their heads off before rushing for the next. Despite the small amount of soldiers they had on their side, the Nation had actually sent out necromancers, which were not making things any easier with the amount of undead that now walked among those still alive.

_/Lady Lina… where are you?/_

_I'm on my way! Just hold them off for a moment longer!_

_/But they have necromancers! How do we deal with those?/_

_Isn't it obvious? Ignore the undead and go straight for the necromancers!_

Seul winced at the shout in his head, but nodded in understanding. With all the other soldiers focusing their attention on the undead, the young boy dived back and forth between the enemy's ranks, his eyes shifting to the familiar bright yellow as he searched out the mages that were responsible for this.

However, they had the tendency to keep on running away whenever he got close, making it virtually impossible for Seul to get close. Before all this, Seul would've just given up, but now, he just kept trying, determined to prove that he was not a worthless kid like everyone had always claimed him o be back home. He was definitely going to prove them all wrong.

However, just then, a shadow passed over them, briefly making him halt in his tracks to look up. For a moment, he was sure it was the silver dragon, but his breath nearly froze when he saw the pitch black scales adorning the dragon's hide.

Seul might have never seen them before, but he had heard from many of the Union's soldiers about the black dragons, and their thirst for blood. If the Nation had deployed one on them, it might be too late when Lina actually got there.

He could hear the rest of the Union begin to panic as well - right up until the dragon started belching out flames toward the Nation's side of the battlefield, rapidly incinerating a good section of the enemy forces in one fell swoop.

_Sorry for the wait!_

_{{Lina! Where did you… how did you?}}_

**[[All of you shut up! You're giving me a headache!]]** The dragon's rumbling voice echoed through their heads, even as he dipped down low enough to drop off the two passengers on his back, one of them being the familiar figure of Lina, the other one not so familiar.

Seul wanted to ask, but knew that now wasn't the time and focused back on the task at hand.

* * *

Verse 7

Lynn wore an icy expression on her face as she pulled out her swords and spun them briefly in her hands before holding them lightly in her hands. She said nothing and didn't even glance at Lina as the redhead reached back and very nearly ripped the sword from its sheath. Unlike Lynn, Lina's face was twisted in an expression of demonic delight, her grin nearly splitting her face in two.

And as Morcion leaped back up into the air to assault the Nation from the air, the two girls rushed into the fray, their blades dancing through the air as they ripped their way through armor, flesh and bone. Blood was flying every which way, but neither seemed to care.

While Lynn had never been to an actual battlefront before, preferring the darkness of the shadows to the bright of day, she still held her own out there. Being a former assassin, she was agile and quick on her feet, making her a difficult target for the Nation to hit.

Lina, while not as fast, was more powerful and had an easier time to take out the Nation's soldiers with a maximum of three clean slashes. With all her experience in battle thus far, it was no real surprise that she packed so much power, and while she was easier to hit, it didn't make her an easier target.

It was like adding two completely different people together who were very much alike mentally, but still moved and acted differently because of their pasts, and yet they moved as one.

* * *

Lynn's agile movements allowed her to catch up with the necromancers' fast escapades easily, and as she lashed out, ripping open his chest with the single move, Seul rushed forward and smashed the guy's head _into_ the ground with a single well-aimed kick.

"Good aim."

"Thanks."

* * *

Lina roared in rage as she lashed out at every enemy soldier she laid her eyes on. The demon inside of her was on a rampage, now, and she wasn't about to stop it anytime soon. Not until all the Nation's soldiers had fallen, at the very least. Even as Isaac jumped in to take out one of the soldiers aiming for Lina's back, the redhead did not let up on her assault.

_{{From where did you get a black dragon?}}_ Isaac questioned, even though he never once turned away from his targets.

_I ran into an old ally, you could say._ Lina would never use the word "friend" around any of the other pact-holders. It was just how she was.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a small section of the Nation fleeing from the battle. Snarling in rage, she reached out with her mind.

_Dragon! They're getting away! _

* * *

Morcion blinked slightly, assuming that Lina had been talking to him, before he snorted. It was relatively easy for him to rush over and get them, but he was not bound to Lina, so he had no obligation to listen to her.

But no sooner had he prepared to speak, or…

**I can't leave you alone for ONE minute, can I?**

In an instant, Morcion's muscles tensed and almost caused him to drop down from the air as he whipped around, just in time to see the fleeing soldiers being crushed beneath the silver-scaled claws of the very dragon he had met up with only a few moments ago.

The silver dragon snarled viciously at the few soldiers that had eluded him, before he roared and belched out piercing silver orbs of energy that, upon hitting their targets, erupted in a burst of silver fire, rapidly disintegrating the soldiers to nothing more than ash.

But before Morcion could even collect his wits…

**Are you going to keep staring or are you going to keep fighting!**

After blinking once, Morcion decided to shake it off and leave it for later. At least until the Nation was taken out.

* * *

Verse 8

As the last of the Nation's soldiers, including the damned necromancers, fell, Lynn breathed out a sigh of slight relief, before spinning her wave swords into their sheaths. Stretching a little, she looked around as the soldiers cheered at their accomplishment, but then turned when she felt a familiar aura approach.

"You have a dragon, too," she chuckled out mirthlessly. Lina didn't even grace that with a response. "Heh… heheh… Somehow… I'm not as surprised as I should be." Shaking the matter off, she turned to face Lina completely. "In any case… that's not important right now."

Lina nodded once, and started walking quietly after sheathing her blade.

They walked past the other soldiers in silence, and none of them seemed to bother at all. Lynn didn't doubt that they were already used to Lina's silence, and probably weren't expecting much from Lynn, so they left them well enough alone.

However, when Lynn noticed just _who_ they were approaching, she found herself blinking in surprise.

Eris looked up as the two girls approached, and a relieved smile crossed her face as she walked over to them, though it looked more like the brisk jog of a soldier in Lynn's eyes.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Eris breathed out, giving Lina a quick hug, to which Lina said nothing, before moving back again. "Don't go out on your own like that! You had us all worried!" the brunette chided, much like a mother would with a child.

Lina simply shrugged one shoulder, before turning to Lynn and gesturing to her with one hand.

Lynn was lost for a brief moment, before recalling that Lina couldn't speak anymore and quickly turning to Eris. As the young woman looked at her, she said: "I… My name is Lynn. Lady Goddess, I… I have something I need to tell you."

Eris frowned in slight confusion at that, but rather than go in on it, she asked: "I see… Have we met? You look… strangely familiar."

Lynn tensed. Of course they'd met; Lynn had spent nearly two months at the Grand Shrine before her family had moved out again. She'd met Eris several times but had never asked for her name, nor had her name been asked in return. She would have never thought that she was, in fact, the Goddess herself.

"Maybe so… I have stayed at the Grand Shrine at one point. Perhaps we met there, before."

Lina looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, but she didn't say anything about why Lynn opted to hide that the two of them had been friends.

"Oh… I see." Eris seemed to accept it, at least for now. "Well, all right… so, what did you wish to tell me?"

Lynn took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to reveal. It had even startled Lina when she had told her, and there was no telling what Eris would do once she heard this. Letting it out slowly, she finally said as calmly as she could:

"The Nation wishes to destroy the seals to not only destroy the world… but also to bring back someone with the ability to destroy the Gods themselves."

* * *

"New ally gained: Lynn"

"Weapon: Wave Swords / Wolves' Cry"

"Pact partner: Morcion, Black Dragon"

* * *

-Pact communication-

_Lina_

**Silver Dragon**

_[[Lynn]]_

**[[Morcion]]**

_{{Isaac}}_

**{{Irei}}**

_/Seul/_


	29. Chapter 28: History and Her Story

Dear GOD, do you guys have any ideas how many times I rewrote this chapter because I wasn't happy with it? Too many, I'll tell you that. Anyway, I did NOT give this story up, but I've been stuck on this specific chapter for months!

* * *

**_Chapter 28: History and Her Story_**

Verse 1

As the night fell, so, too, did the temperature drop almost twice as fast. And while the soldiers of the Union began their patrol, the two dragons encircled the tent in which Lina, Lynn and Eris were talking.

"Someone… who can destroy the Gods?" Eris asked, obviously not believing it one bit.

"Whether it's true or not, I really don't know," Lynn said simply, taking a sip of her drink, "but that's their intent, it seems."

Lina said nothing to that. She merely sipped her drink in silence, though the look on her face was a mix of concentration and something close to anticipation. The latter didn't surprise either Lynn or Eris, but neither said anything about it.

Eris blew on her drink before taking a sip. "Maybe you should start from the beginning, Lynn."

"Of course…"

* * *

Verse 2

"From what I gathered, it started long before the first Goddess Seal was first created. There lived a young princess who, as people claimed, was a witch practicing the dark arts. Many just assumed it was a rumor brought into the world by the young princess to keep suitors at bay. For she already had someone whom she was deeply in love with, a soldier amongst her father's ranks.

Unfortunately, her father, the King, would not accept this, and thus married her out to a Prince of a neighboring country. Despite the distance put between her and her beloved, she had managed to arrange for him to change places with the soldier whom was supposed to come with her from her own kingdom to protect her from any possible assassinations, or other accidents."

"How did she manage that?"

"I'm not sure… but if she really did practice the black arts like the rumors had said, it wouldn't have been too hard. In any case… as the years progressed, she sired a total of 6 children, but only 2 of them had the royal blood in them. Only their mother knew of this fact, and she definitely let it show, despite never letting know that the reason for her behavior was only because they had the royal blood instead of that of her beloved.

She would never praise them, always saying they had to do better, and scolding them whenever they did even the smallest thing wrong. Sometimes she would even have them locked in the supply closet as punishment, and would not let them out until after dinner had already passed. But as the years passed, she wouldn't even look in their direction unless they did something she believed to be wrong.

The oldest of the two was already used to their mother's behavior and had accepted that he would never be able to do anything right in her eyes. He had long since stopped trying to impress her with his skills and merely focused on what he himself enjoyed to do.

The youngest of the two, however, whom was also the youngest of all six, did not accept it. But rather than try and be a good boy, he did everything in his power to be a 'not-so-good boy'. After all, it was the only way for their mother to acknowledge them.

There were even times when he would run away from the maids and hide within the castle gardens, where he would remain hidden for hours sometimes. However, it was during this time that he was abducted and taken away from his home. Yet no one had realized this until nearly a week had passed since the boy's disappearance."

"So he was kidnapped for ransom…?"

"That's what people believed at first, but no. No ransom letter was delivered to the castle gates or anyone else of the family. While young princes and princesses worried over the fate of their youngest brother, his mother did not seem to care, and even his father eventually declared him to be dead…

So imagine their surprise when he suddenly appeared at the castle gates, years later, alive and well.

He had grown taller than any of his brothers, and carried with him a blade drenched in blood. He spoke not a word to anyone since his return to the castle, not even to the other prince of royal blood with whom he had always shared the closest bond, thus they had no way of knowing what was going on through his head…

Up until when he killed his mother's lover."

"What? Wh-why?"

"As it turns out, someone found out about his mother's affair with a common soldier, and sought to punish her by having one of her sons kill her."

"But he killed her lover… why…?"

"Rather than blame his mother, he blamed the person that stole her love from him and his older brother. True, he also hated her as well, but that was the second reason why he killed her beloved; to mentally torture her and drive her to insanity.

Which worked, though that wasn't the smartest thing he could have done…

By this time, she had already been crowned Queen, and you could imagine that the King was not happy with how she ended up; as a blabbering, helpless child.

But any attempts at capturing the youngest prince were futile; he had grown powerful enough to counter the King's army without even breaking a sweat. No matter how many the King sent out, they all fell faster than they were sent out."

"So… he was invincible?"

"That's what most thought… until his brother stepped out onto the battlefield…"

* * *

Verse 3

The two men locked blades, the first glaring, the other second with an almost regretful look on his face. The first roared and lashed out sideways, forcing the second man to back off. Once he had his footing back, the man cried out: "Why! Why are you doing this! All this will not give you what you want!"

"Don't you DARE assume you know what I want!" the first shouted as he lunged forward, forcing the second to backpedal so he could block and parry. "You don't know _anything,_ do you! You don't know what I've seen! You haven't seen the TRUTH!"

One quick slice and the second man's sword was knocked from his hands. Panic struck the second man, before he was forced to leap aside from a downward stroke. As he dived to the ground, he snagged up his sword and rolled back to his feet, only just blocking the next swing aimed to take his head off. "T-truth? What are… what are you talking about?"

"I have no reason to tell you!" the first snarled, moving his sword back and making to stab it through the second's head, but he rolled aside and leapt back to his feet, blocking the next swipes as well. "Not to you who does not understand anything! You who knows NOTHING!"

The second man blocked another swipe, trying to parry the first's swings to the best of his ability.

But he was not trained for this. He had little to no experience with the sword and then there came the fact that the person opposite him was his blood brother. He had known all along that only he and his brother held the royal blood, and while that meant their mother would not give them love, it would be they alone who had the right to take the throne. And yet that wasn't enough for his brother.

"Then explain to me!" he cried out as he blocked. "Explain what I don't understand! Tell me that which I don't know!"

"Maybe I will tell you… when I see you in HELL!"

The next swing was too fast to detect, and he screamed in pain. He stumbled, and stared in horror at the bloody limp that now lay on the ground. His arm had been sliced off with one single swipe, and the blood that was already dripping from his bloody stump of an arm (or what remained of it) was making him dizzy.

"Br… brother… why… Why are you doing this, Caim?"

His brother chose not to respond, even when his name was called, and instead rushed at the other with what seemed to be even more killing intent than before. It took him everything he had to keep the other man away from him, something that had been made considerably harder with only one arm at his disposal.

Backup would not come to his aid, he knew; there was no one left to back him up, after all.

He managed to dodge the next swipe by chance alone, and just as his brother turned, he thrust his blade forward with all his might.

* * *

"C…C-Caim…?" he choked out, unable to tear his eyes away from what he had done.

His brother said nothing for a long while, before he coughed, sending blood onto the other man's hand. When the younger man fell down, he followed almost immediately, using his only remaining arm to keep the man off the ground, though this also ensured that the blade was not moved from where it had pierced right through the younger man's chest.

"Wh-why…? Why did you…? Why? Caim, why!"

The younger man was silent for a moment longer, but then he started to speak, so softly that it was almost inaudible, but he managed to catch every word, and what he was told made him pale in horror.

"…stop her… don't let her… break it…"

Those words were his younger brother's last words… before he spoke no more ever again…

* * *

Verse 4

"What did he say to his brother?"

"No one's sure; he never said anything about his brother's final words. He eventually married a Duchess, watched over a piece of land of his father's, and occasionally returned home. However, when he finally had children of his own, it seems he hired an assassin to kill the Queen."

"What? But why?"

"My personal guess is that it has something to do with what his brother told him as he was dying… and anyway, it failed. But it did set things into motion; the Queen had never actually been traumatized by her lover's death, and had only been manipulating everyone into doing what she wanted.

As it turned out; the rumor that she practiced the black arts had not been a rumor at all. She really _did_ practice them, and the years had given her such power that it scared those around her. And the reason why she had not been traumatized by her lover's death was because he should have been dead ages ago."

"What?"

"Yeah… she had called him back from the beyond the grave; she had opened a doorway to the world of the dead and pulled him back. She would've done it again, too, had she had the opportunity. But as it turns out, the item she had needed was missing. And guess who took it…"

"The youngest prince…"

"That's everyone's guess… it wasn't on his corpse, but there's no denying that he could have hidden it somewhere. And if it had been on him, I'm suspecting his older brother took it and hid it… at least before he was killed."

"Ki-killed?"

"What? You thought the Queen was just going to let him go like that? After that assassination attempt, there was no way they'd let him go. She made sure he was dead, before she started searching for whatever it was she needed. But in her desperation to find it, she called upon some 'friends' from the underworld.

Nowadays… we call them monsters."

"Wait… _she_ summoned them to this world?"

"If you believe what's written down, then yeah. The constant presence of those creatures dyed the sky a blood red… and as you can guess, this caused mass panic."

"How was it stopped?"

"Funny you should ask… 20 years after the sky was recorded to turn blood red, someone finally succeeded in killing the Queen… Someone who had made a pact; the first pact in written human history."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. And apparently, that person also had some knowledge of seals… Care to hazard a guess what this person made?"

"The Goddess Seal…"

"Yep. A woman he was close to offered up her soul to protect the people of the world by creating a barrier, locking out the red sky and the demons that roamed their world. A barrier that would last for the duration of her life."

Eris nodded slowly. "But, who would have the power to destroy the Gods?"

"What? It's not obvious enough?" Lynn asked with a sigh.

Lina frowned briefly, before turning her head to the side. Before Eris could ask, the silver dragon's voice called out: "The children of the Queen and her lover, obviously."

Lynn nodded. "Yes. By now, the blood of the Queen and her lover has spread out throughout the land. They seek to destroy the seal to find whatever it is the Queen lost."

"But why? To bring back the Queen's lover?"

"No… 'The Mother'…"

* * *

Verse 5

The darkness of the night was haunting, and yet Lina was still awake. Eris and Lynn had retired after some more heavy discussion that Lina had "politely" excused herself from. Now she was lying against her partner's side, thinking and contemplating.

_…Dragon…_

**Mm… what?**

_…What is 'the Mother'?_

**…You don't want to know.**

_Yes I do._

**No you don't.**

_Tell me!_

**No.**

_…Jerk._

Arguing at this point had no point, and she really wasn't in the mood. Turning on her side, she closed her eyes briefly, before they slid open almost automatically.

**Go to sleep.**

_…Can't._

**Sleep.**

_I can't, dragon… If I could, I would._

The silver dragon sighed in annoyance, briefly shaking his head. **You're going to be difficult about this, aren't you?**

_What gave you that idea?_

He merely snorted. They remained silent for a long moment, before the dragon's voice once more echoed through her mind. She blinked a few times, before her eyes slowly fell shut and she fell asleep without another word.

"…Stubborn little hatchling…" the dragon chuckled out, before following her into the realm of dreams.

* * *

-Pact communication-

_Lina_

**Silver Dragon**

_[[Lynn]]_

**[[Morcion]]**

_{{Isaac}}_

**{{Irei}}**

_/Seul/_


End file.
